NORFOLK, Va. — Fans and dehumidifiers are running throughout the historic Wells Theatre as Virginia Stage Company works to recover from two rounds of flooding that damaged equipment, interrupted preparations for its next production and prompted the cast and crew of and upcoming performance of "Come From Away" to trade rehearsals for a bucket brigade.
The flooding first hit Thursday as Virginia Stage Company was rehearsing "Come From Away," its upcoming production at the Wells Theatre in downtown Norfolk.
Tom Quaintance, Perry Producing Artistic Director for Virginia Stage Company, said he was at rehearsal at the Governor's School when he first heard the theater was leaking. The situation quickly became much more serious.
"We had water pouring in, and it was pouring in backstage," Quaintance said.
Water also made its way through a hallway connecting the backstage area to the lobby. Quaintance said ceiling tiles began falling as water entered other parts of the building.
Staff and crew immediately began trying to protect the set under construction and move sensitive equipment out of harm's way.
Quaintance said their efforts likely saved weeks of work and hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment.
The theater had barely begun recovering when another round of heavy rain hit downtown Norfolk on Saturday.
City officials said downtown experienced rainfall rates of 2 to 2.5 inches per hour on Aug. 22, compared with 1 to 1.5 inches per hour during another heavy rain event on Aug. 4.
According to the city, all three pumps at the downtown pump station, along with a sump pump, were operational. However, officials said the amount of water exceeded the system's storage capacity.
At the Wells Theatre, the second round of flooding became even more destructive when a pipe burst, concentrating water over the stage and backstage areas.
"For about three hours on Saturday, we had essentially a fire hydrant inside the building blasting out, doing damage," Quaintance said.
That's when the people who came to Norfolk to put on a show found themselves trying to save the stage they were supposed to perform it on.
Quaintance said he went to where the "Come From Away" cast was rehearsing and told them what was happening downstairs.
"I walked up into rehearsal and I said to the cast, 'Look, nobody needs to follow me, but I've got a crew downstairs who is working hard to save this show,'" Quaintance recalled.
The entire cast followed.
They joined Virginia Stage Company staff and crew downstairs, forming a bucket brigade to get water out of the building and helping move equipment as the flooding continued.
"It was again, I think, the heroic work of this cast, this crew, this staff, in saving as much as we could until the fire department showed up, and we've been working on recovering all of that ever since," Quaintance said.
The cleanup and damage assessment are still underway.
Fans, heaters and dehumidifiers are running throughout the Wells as crews work to dry out the building. Virginia Stage Company said it still has not discovered the full extent of the damage, and rebuilding has not yet begun.
Some losses are already known.
The Clavinova digital piano that was supposed to be used in "Come From Away" was destroyed. Quaintance said lighting equipment and fabric were also affected. Crews are continuing to determine what can be saved and what will need to be replaced.
There has also been good news.
"The majority of the really sensitive systems were saved," Quaintance said.
Virginia Stage Company said the Wells Theatre's fly system, which brings curtains, scenery and other elements above the stage in and out during performances, is fully operational. Work on the set for "Come From Away" has also resumed.
As that work continues, the cast is preparing to take the stage somewhere else this weekend to help the theater recover.
Quaintance said the Virginia Arts Festival has donated use of the Robin Hixon Theater for a special benefit featuring members of the "Come From Away" cast.
Cast members are expected to perform songs from "Come From Away," along with other selections and what Quaintance described as a few surprises. The event will serve as a fundraiser for the Wells Theatre restoration effort.
Virginia Stage Company is also accepting donations as it faces unexpected costs associated with mitigation, repairs, damaged equipment and getting the Wells ready to welcome audiences again.
Despite the flooding, the show will go on.
"Come From Away" was originally scheduled to have its first public performance Sept. 2, with its official opening night Sept. 5.
The company is now working toward Sept. 5 as the first public performance.
"Right now we feel like with the work that was done to mitigate the damage, with the dedication of the staff that's putting the show back together, we think we can get there," Quaintance said.
The production they're fighting to get on stage has also taken on new meaning after what happened inside the Wells.
"Come From Away" tells the true story of what happened in Gander, Newfoundland, after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Thousands of airline passengers were stranded there after U.S. airspace was closed, and residents of the small Canadian community came together to help them.
For Quaintance, the parallels between the story his company is preparing to tell and what he witnessed inside the Wells are difficult to ignore.
"Look, we're doing the show 'Come From Away,' which is about a community of people in Gander, Newfoundland, in Canada, who on September 11, 2001, took in these 7,000 people, and in the face of crisis, came together and helped," Quaintance said.
Over the past several days, he has watched his own cast, crew, staff and members of the Hampton Roads community come together when the Wells needed them.
Community members and relatives of staff members showed up to help clear damaged areas and move equipment. Quaintance recalled finding himself passing buckets alongside someone he had never seen at the theater before.
"People were just pitching and trying to save our artistic home," he said.
It's a response Quaintance said he won't soon forget.
"To have that cast, that crew, this staff, in the face of a crisis, pitch in together and do this work to save this building, to save the work we've been doing is one of the most inspirational things I've ever been around," Quaintance said.
For now, the fans and dehumidifiers continue to run. Crews are still determining the extent of the damage, and plenty of work remains before rebuilding can truly begin.
But the set is being built again, the cast is preparing to perform and Virginia Stage Company is still working toward opening the doors Sept. 5.
Click here to see how we use AI at WTKR News 3.
