Wilson's Cultural Center needs repairs now

Playhouse's production of "Christmas Belles" was performed over the weekend at the DelMastro Auditorium at Wilson Community College. Although the Thursday night crowd (when I attended) was respectable and appreciative, the college auditorium lacked the ambiance and the capabilities of the Edna Boykin Cultural Center, where Playhouse usually stages its productions.

The ceiling in the city-owned 90-year-old theater is sagging and needs extensive repairs. Concerts, plays and other events slated for the Boykin Center have been moved or rescheduled. The latest, unofficial word I heard was that it could be months, even up to a year, before the Boykin Center is ready for showtime again. A delay of that duration would deal a serious blow to entertainment in Wilson.

Even six months of delay would jeopardize the Theater of the American South, scheduled at the end of May. Moving TOTAS to another location would break the theater festival's continuity and its focus on Wilson's historic downtown. TOTAS, in its third year, has begun to develop a strong fan base and attract patrons from other cities. Wilson businesses and individuals have supported the festival financially. Founding director Gary Cole exudes his love and appreciation for Wilson, but this festival could go anywhere in the region. And plenty of cities would love to be known as home to Theater of the American South.

Wilson officials had better get on the ball and finish the repairs to the Boykin Center — and do so while retaining the 1920s charm of its plaster work on walls and ceiling. Wilson's claim as a host of vibrant theater and performing arts is in danger, and the two decades it took to restore the theater initially, could be lost.