BURLEY, Idaho — Renovations at the historic Burley Theatre are moving along as fundraising efforts continue, bringing the theater closer to an opening night.
WATCH: The historic Burley Theatre's $2 million restoration moves closer to showtime as sponsored seats sell out and opening night nears.
Back in January, I took you inside what remained of the historic Burley Theatre as renovations got underway.
"We're restoring it so it can be a dual-use theater — able to show some classic movies but also live productions," said Brian Muir, president of the Mount Harrison Heritage Foundation.
RELATED: Historic Burley Theatre restoration brings new life to 1914 venue
Now, after almost 10 months of construction and fundraising efforts, the Burley Theatre is slowly inching closer to showtime, with construction scaffolding taking center stage.
"We have to cut things and make it look worse, before it can get better," said Andrew Gibby, vice president of the Mount Harrison Heritage Foundation, which is spearheading the restoration project.
"The Mount Harrison Heritage Foundation has been around since the 80s — they put on melodramas originally. They were one of the main people that found the money for the King Fine Arts Center and helped get that built — and so this is kind of our next new project," Gibby said.
At a price tag of around $2 million — thanks to grants and fundraising efforts — major improvements have been made.
"We've done the HVAC upgrades; we've also changed the stairs — all the old lath and plaster and insulation has been removed from the building, and we're putting new insulation in, and we're using spray-foam to help make it more efficient and run better and new Sheetrock — so everything will be new and clean and beautiful," Gibby said.
As work moves along, fundraising efforts continue, with the theatre quickly selling out on individually sponsored seats.
"All these main seats are almost gone — so we really appreciate the community stepping up and getting those," Gibby said.
Gibby says there are still some seats available on the main floor and balcony, with that sponsorship money going to buy seats that are worth an investment, emphasizing comfort and space.
"We're planning just under 400 seats — we've thought about it a lot, and we put some really good thought into it, making sure that they are spaced out correctly so you can sit comfortably — and not have people bumping and rubbing shoulders," Gibby said.
As for an opening night?
"Hopefully the end of next year is kind of what we're thinking — but you know how construction goes," Gibby said.
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