By Justin Bigos, Staff Writer
Pentangle Arts executive director Deborah Greene has been busy making improvements to the beloved Woodstock Town Hall Theatre over the past couple of years.
“This place is the first place that I got my theater bug,” said Greene, as she led an in-person guided walk through the theatre this week, which recently received a $50,000 grant from Rutland Home Depot to renovate the theatre’s Green Room and restrooms.
“We had a house on Hartland Hill when I was a kid, and so I was brought here. I saw my first R-rated movie — I was not of age yet, but I have history here,” she said. That deep personal connection to Woodstock, Pentangle, and the Town Hall Theatre were palpable as Greene gestured to floors, ceilings, light fixtures, and every and anything that caught her eye as worthy of attention. Built in 1899 and originally an opera house, the theatre has already undergone a number of renovations — including painting, lighting improvements, and soundproofing — many under Greene’s guidance, as she continues to plan future improvements.
Two years ago, Greene knew right away what her goal would be when stepping back into the Town Hall Theatre. “The very first thing I thought was, ‘Okay, we’re going to let people know this is an open space.’ And the two things that were immediately in my mind were: ‘Make it a place of welcoming; make it a place where people can come together.’ And so every little piece of [the theatre], to me, was a big deal.”
In the entrance and lobby, Greene pointed out locally made fixtures, including the sconces, redone by Simon Pearce glassware. “If you look, they’re like a modern-day, crafts version of the original lamp that’s in the middle,” said Greene. She also pointed out the wall painting — less military-drab and lighter and more open in color — as well as the cleaned-up floors.
At left, volunteers unload supplies from the Rutland Home Depot, which recently awarded the Town Hall Theatre with a $50,000 grant to renovate its Green Room and restrooms. At right, Deborah Greene, executive director of Pentangle Arts since 2024, has guided the Woodstock Town Hall Theatre through various renovations in her two years at the helm.
Courtesy of Pentangle Arts
“When I first was here, this was simply an entry way,” Greene said of the lobby space, “where now it really is like a mezzanine area. We have parties in this lobby, so the lobby now is no longer a walk-through — it’s a gathering space. We also have a band in the corner while there’s a party going on, and there’s always music. One of my favorite things to do now is just stand here at the end of the night, just because I’m still here. And I feel like the modern-day Julie McCoy or something.”
In the auditorium, Greene took a seat and let out a breath of contentment. One of her major improvements here is the addition of remote-control screens for the windows, which she had stripped of a light-blocking foam, in order to let light in and out. “When I got here, it was not wild colors. Everything was muted. And these windows had these big curtains on them, and this very thick black foam covered over it, so they were blacked out. This entire space was incredibly dark. And now it’s really welcoming, because you can have daytime events here. It makes it more welcoming for us to have additional people come in during the day to do programs. We have a summer camp, and the kids love what they’re doing,” she said.
Greene also mentioned the addition of sectionals, which can partition the theatre in order to create cozier, more contained space for smaller events in a larger theatre that seats up to 366 people. Greene also plans upgrades to the chairs and floor in the theatre — a theatre that is not just a particular love of hers in terms of Pentangle, but also in the larger region of the Upper Valley and the state, where movie theatres continue to close due to loss of revenue. “We actually have the biggest screen in the area,” said Greene.
Another way Greene has found to get people to the movies is beer, wine, and cocktails. “I got us a liquor license. We had beer and wine last year, and then I just got our third tier so that we can do mixed drinks, like a specialty drink [White Russians] we did for ‘The Big Lebowski.’ We’re starting something called ‘Community Movie Night’ as a way to keep older movies alive here, which is a little bit more affordable for us. The next one is going to be ‘The Princess Bride,’ and we’ll have sangria in honor of Inigo Montoya’s father.”
Greene also talked about the $50,000 grant Pentangle has received from Rutland Home Depot. “Home Depot has given us a grant, and we are completely redoing the Green Room, which I think is going to also help bring in different types of artists. It’s new floors, it’s new cabinetry, it’s new counters, it’s new lighting, it’s fridges, it’s ice machines — it’s everything that we need to up-level the space, which I think is going to be very special,” said Greene. “They’re coming with 20 or 30 people from their team to do the work, material and labor coming from the area. That’s pretty significant,” she added.
The project is a “community effort,” said Greene, and Pentangle is enlisting volunteers to help. If you are interested in volunteering for a three-hour shift as a “Home Depot Helper,” between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. next week on March 23, 24, or 25, you can sign up at tinyurl.com/96xfxfws.
“I want to express gratitude to Max Comins,” Greene said. “Max has been very generous to Pentangle in many ways over the years. When Pentangle really needed help, Max gave a very generous gift when I first came on board, which was fundamental in keeping the organization on track.”
Back in her office, Greene sat back in her chair and reflected again on the importance of a place like the Woodstock Town Hall Theatre. “What we’re talking about is the importance of having an experience, an emotional experience with other people in your community, or people that you don’t know. There’s something that is so elegant [about it]. There’s that moment where they’re tuning their instruments, right? And the hush, then everybody gets a little quieter, and it gets dark, and there’s that vibration. You can just feel it around you, and it somehow emotionally connects the entire space to whatever is about to happen. And I think that’s just so critical, because it’s so rare that we’re all on the same page. But even that, it’s like a tuning fork for humanity for two hours,” she said.