Almost there…

“There is currently no theatre in Baños .”

That was the opening line of the ‘Please Help us to Build our Theatre’ video created by the administrators, volunteers and kids at Fundacion Arte del Mundo, a non-profit organisation which promotes literacy and the arts in the Andes town of Baños de Agua Santa, Ecuador.

Well, there is a theatre now… almost.

A year ago, almost to the day, I received an email from Mazz saying ‘I want to raise funds for a theatre project at the bib …’ . The concept of a community theatre in Baños had been raised in the past but it had never been anything more than the grain of an idea. And it remained just that for a while….

This year a campaign on Indiegogo raised enough funds to put a roof on the garage and get the project started. Further efforts, donations and hard work by the foundation, its volunteers and members of the community have helped make the dream into reality… almost.

Here’s what the volunteers say on the Fundacion’s blog…

Three weeks ago we tumbled into the gorgeous town of Baños as volunteer theatre builders. What a mighty task we had ahead of us. When we arrived the theatre had a brand new water tight roof and side wall with sliding door. The rest however was desperately needing some TLC.

Filing, sanding and painting commenced and it wasn’t long before the fruits of everyone’s hard work was becoming clear. Light and sound proofing came next and what used to be an empty garage was quickly becoming a blank canvas ready for the actors, dancers and artists of Baños to take the stage.

The progress has been fantastic and everyone is working together to make this as successful as they can.

The bricks most generously donated by people from all over the world are being printed, the entrance has been erected and everything feels as if it’s coming together. The opening night is in just a week and the excitement is building.

Watch this space!!!

The theatre will open with a community performance, circus performers, a dance group and dramatic book readings… exciting new experiences for many of the people of Baños.

It’s going to happen with or without a floor in the entrance, wireless microphones and a lighting box.

If you care about bringing performing arts to people for whom this is not a given…

If it inspires you to see young people pouring time and effort into making dreams come true…

If you value initiative, creativity and tenacity…

CLICK HERE!