National and regional grantors have enabled Mill Mountain Theatre to begin a major upgrade of air ventilation and purification systems at the MMT Atelier, the facility that houses actors, directors, designers and other theatre professionals who work on our stage shows.
In 2021, MMT received a $38,000 grant from the Roanoke Women’s Foundation. Combined with an earlier award of $30,000 from the Helen S. and Charles G. Patterson Charitable Trust, MMT this spring is replacing worn-out cooling and ventilation equipment at the Atelier, the former Shenandoah Hotel building at Williamson Road and Salem Avenue in downtown Roanoke.
The building is owned by the parent foundation of Center in the Square, which has a long-term lease with MMT for the second and third floors of the building. CITS also is a major financial partner in the renovation.
The Roanoke Women’s Foundation grant was awarded to MMT in November 2021 and the work has begun on replacing the building’s chiller. We anticipate this phase to be completed by mid-2022.
In addition, MMT received a $25,000 grant from the City of Roanoke Arts Commission distributing proceeds from the American Rescue Plan Act. This money is being used to assure the purity of air in occupied rooms at the Atelier. The equipment includes auto-cleaning units added to the fan inlets as air is cycled into rooms plus mobile air purifiers that can be moved easily to spaces with higher occupancy such as the Atelier’s dining and kitchen areas.
These two measures are critical to MMT’s status with Actor’s Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the U.S. AEA defines many standards for safety and quality of theatres that determine that they can accept contracts. In 2020, AEA added health standards to ensure its members are safe from COVID-19 and similar infectious diseases. MMT is proud to comply with AEA standards and be considered as a professional, regional theatre, drawing talented actors and others to Roanoke.
