WALDOBORO — A Light up The Waldo Theatre campaign is underway on the crowd-sourcing website GoFundMe.org. The historic theater on Main Street has been very quiet for the past year, and the board of the nonprofit is trying to raise funds to get the building open again. As of June 10, the campaign has raised $800 towards the $25,000 goal.

The building was designed by architect Benjamin Schlanger as a state-of-the-art movie theater when it debuted in 1937. More recently, it has housed a youth theater program drawing children and teens from across Lincoln and Knox counties to stage plays and musicals.

Community theater productions, magic shows, music, films and puppet shows are all activities that have found an outlet at the Waldo. Local schools also have used the facility, and members of the current board of directors hope to have the building more accessible to the community.

In addition to the GoFundMe campaign, and tax deductible donations may be mailed to The Waldo Theatre, P.O. Box 587, Waldoboro, ME 04572. The Waldo is keeping the public updated via TheWaldo.org, Facebook and Twitter.

Before the doors can open to the public again, the board needs to address several issues. Top priority is fixing drainage problems that have led to flooding in the dressing room areas; and some roof flashing that is leaking. Next will be repairing the water damage, cleaning and venting the building. While this work is being done primarily by volunteers, the theater needs funds to purchase materials, pay utilities and for other operating costs.

If possible, the doors will open in fall for fundraising events to help support continued repairs and upgrades. Some of the cosmetic changes, such as replacing carpeting, will come farther down the road after the high priority needs are addressed.