Sewickley Area Theatre Company set to dissolve

Bobby Cherry
Tuesday, June 27, 2017 3:51 p.m. | Tuesday, June 27, 2017 3:51 p.m.

Heidi Murrin | Trib Total Media

Sewickley Area Theatre Company Director David Ford, left, directs Jeff Way, left, of Sewickley, Haley Koontz Donohue, of Dormont, and Brian McMahon of Coraopolis during rehearsal for their upcoming play 'The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee' Tuesday, March 24, 2015.

Kristina Serafini | Sewickley Herald

Jeff Way of Sewickley, who plays Orin in the show, applies eyeliner prior to the opening of Sewickley Area Theatre Company's production of 'Little Shop of Horrors' on Thursday, June 19, 2016, inside Quaker Valley Middle School. The show is the first for the new theatre company which Way is the co-founder of along with Leetsdale native David Ford.

Kristina Serafini | Sewickey Herald

Sewickley Area Theatre Company founders Jeff Way and David Ford pose for a photo at Ford's Leetsdale home Thursday, Sept. 19, 2013.

Kristina Serafini | Trib Total Media

David Ford of Leetsdale hands out props to actors in Sewickley Area Theatre Company's production of 'The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee' during a dress rehearsal inside Quaker Valley Middle School on Monday, April 6, 2015. Ford is the president of the Sewickley Area Theatre Company board and plays William Barfee in the show.

Emily Harger | Tribune-Review

Director David Ford talks with Kristin Pecelli, Braelin Andrzejewski, and Lauren Seeger, who play the Three Girls in Sewickley Area Theatre Company's performance of Little Shop of Horrors, before rehearsal on Monday, June 9, 2014. Little Shop of Horrors will open next Thursday, June 19 at Quaker Valley Middle School.

Sewickley Area Theatre Company has taken its final curtain call.

In an email Tuesday afternoon to followers, David Ford, president of the Sewickley Area Theatre Company, announced the nonprofit group would dissolve, citing the organization's lack of dedicated performance space.

“While this amazing company was able to accomplish so much in such a short period of time, the challenges presented by the lack of appropriate performance space in the community have made it very difficult for the organization to continue to grow,” Ford said in the email. “It has been said that if a company isn't growing, it's dying, and while SATC could theoretically continue to exist, we must acknowledge the limited growth potential given our current infrastructure.”

The organization produced several shows in its roughly five years, including “ Hairspray ,” “The Wizard of Oz” and “ Little Shop of Horrors .”

Ford, a Leetsdale native, began the organization in 2013 with friend Jeff Way. Quaker Valley musical director Lou Valenzi and high school dramatics coach Jerry Comunale are listed as advisory board members.

“I'm proud of how this group brought people from all over Pittsburgh into the Sewickley area,” Ford wrote. “Personally, this group provided me the opportunity to make incredible new friends, re-kindle relationships with old friends. I know there are many members of our group that have had similar experiences. Most of all, I am proud of the amazing productions that we were able to produce through the hard work of many, many dedicated volunteers.”

Ford thanked supporters and suggested they support other local art organizations.

“As we begin the process of liquidating assets and donating remaining funds to local nonprofits, organized with similar founding principles as SATC, we ask that you continue to get out there and support one of the many arts organizations in Sewickley and elsewhere, such as Sweetwater Center for the Arts and the Tull Family Theater, as well as your local school district productions at Quaker Valley and Sewickley Academy,” he wrote.

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