The Little Theater On The Farm

At the end of Linda Lee Hermans' dirt driveway sits a place where stars could someday be born. It's a 19th-century barn caked with decades of dirt and cobwebs, the back end leaning slightly from when it was clobbered by a tornado in the 1960s. The sun bursts like spotlights through holes in the wooden walls, as if previewing what's to come. Within a year, Hermans aims to transform this former dairy cow haven into a full-fledged community theater venue. She'll call it "Little Theater on the Farm," playing host to small theater companies and offering open mics to local musicians and poets.

Linda Lee Hermans of Fort Edward sits on one of the donated seats in an old barn she’s transforming into a community theater. She hopes to have it up and running within a year.

Hermans has found a way to look past the barn's rough edges and see a community meeting place where tasteful, family-oriented entertainment is showcased. "Welcome to the world of a dreamer," Hermans says, standing proudly in the barn's gaping doorway. The dream in fact came so clearly to Hermans one morning, it nearly gave her the creeps. When she first bought her 27 Plum Road property two years ago, she struggled over what to do with the barn. But at 6:30 a.m. on Aug. 6, 2004, the lightbulb switched on.

A weathervane bearing the well-known symbols of theater will top the finished barn.

"I woke up and this was laid out before me like a blueprint," she said. Stepping inside the barn, she detailed her theater's plans. On the left, where piles of wood and old appliances now sit, will be the refreshment area. The cow stalls to the right will become vending spaces for any locals who want to sell their wares at a show. The hayloft upstairs will be turned into a sewing room and storage space for sets. The piece de resistance, however, is the main section in back, where soggy hay patches the dirt floor and barn swallows frequently dive-bomb for bugs. "Now, here is where you have to use your imagination," the former schoolteacher says. This section will become the actual theater. Hermans will build a stage on one end, and rows of theater seats will gradually ascend to the back wall.

Is it meant to be?

Even after such a detailed revelation, Hermans still didn't know if it was meant to be -- until two weeks later when town Code Enforcement Officer Tom DuFore called, asking if she knew of anyone who might want some old theater chairs. At the time, he knew nothing of Herman's plan. "Talk about 'here's your sign,' " Hermans said.

She's put little money into the renovations since last summer, thanks to numerous donations of carpets, old doors, scrap wood from torn-up decks and stacks of windows. She relies heavily on the help of friends, as well as skilled people who need to perform community service. She declined to say how much she's spent on the project so far. Hermans has also formed the nonprofit corporation Little Theater on the Farm Inc. and appointed a five-member Board of Directors. Board member Jack Koenig is a professional actor in New York City whom Hermans recruited for advice. Koenig's mother is Herman's cousin. "I wouldn't put anything past her," Koenig said, when asked if the theater might open next year. "She's got the drive, the connections and the friends who want to help, and it seems like she's really putting all her energies behind this."

DuFore, who is helping Hermans comply with town code, expects more visible progress very soon. "The hardest part is getting started," he said. "There's a point where everything drags its feet, but once you get past that, everything flies. It takes longer to dig the hole than to build the house." Despite her relentless drive, Hermans, a member of Fort Edward's Planning Board, admits she sometimes deals with skeptics. "People come in here and shake their heads," she says, sitting in one of her donated theater seats. "But that's all right. It's gonna be nice."