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Montgomery Theater director outlines programming, lease terms and asks borough to patch adjacent parking lot
Summary
Kristen Heckler, Montgomery Theater’s managing and associate artistic director, described two-stage programming, education and accessibility plans, detailed a special lease arrangement (annual rent $6,000 and a $60,000 line of credit for capital work with roughly $16,000 remaining on the purchase option payoff) and asked the borough to consider patching a nearby lot used by patrons.
Kristen Heckler, managing and associate artistic director at Montgomery Theater, told the Souderton Borough Council on Oct. 7 that the theater runs a professional main stage and a project stage used for education and community programming and that it wants to grow community engagement and accessibility.
"My name is Kristen Heckler. I'm the managing and associate artistic director at Montgomery Theater, right here on Main Street in Souderton," Heckler said, outlining the theater’s two-stage model, education programs and a new project series to develop original work.
Heckler described the theater’s unusual long-term arrangement with the borough: the theater pays $6,000 in annual rent, uses a $60,000 line of credit to finance capital improvements and currently has about $16,000 remaining on the lease’s purchase-option payoff. She asked the borough to consider limited patching of a small parking area behind the building used by patrons, explaining the theater lacks the staff or capacity to undertake a full reconstruction and that major repairs typically require a public bidding process.
Council members acknowledged the theater’s 30-year relationship with the borough and said staff would take notes and consider short-term patching while a larger, holistic reconstruction remains a longer-term, budgeted project. Heckler also described the theater’s strategic plan to increase attendance and diversity of programming, including bilingual adaptations and an "equitable ticket program" worked out with local nonprofits.
Heckler said the project stage, renovated over the summer, will continue to host education programs, youth productions and community events, and that the theater is expanding accessibility measures to include open captioning and audio description for patrons with hearing and vision impairments. She said the theater is coordinating with Keystone Opportunity Center and other local nonprofits to make tickets affordable for community members.
Council members praised Heckler for returning to her hometown and for the theater’s long record of service. They agreed the theater is a community asset and signaled willingness to consider limited, safety-focused parking repairs in the near term.
The presentation concluded with no formal action other than council agreement to evaluate immediate patching options and to consider the theater’s ongoing partnership during future maintenance and capital-planning discussions.
