He wants them back for an encore!
Col. Michael Gould, the new commanding officer of Fort Hamilton Army base, told us this week that he’d love to have the Narrows Community Theater back in its home on the base, which the group was forced to leave because of heightened security regulations following 9-11.
“I asked the question, ‘How can we allow this to happen?’, not ‘Can we do it?’,” Gould said. “I want to do it.”
Gould’s words were music to the ears of Susan Huizinga, the president of the 39-year-old theater company that has become a group of wandering minstrels since being kicked off the base, where it had performed inside a 500-seat auditorium for years.
“We’re thrilled,” said Huizinga.
Over the past nine years, the troupe has performed at St. Patrick’s Church on Fourth Avenue and 97th Street, but has no permanent place to rehearse or store its gear.
Most recently, the troupe — which also offers dancing, acting and singing workshops for both children and adults — lost its rehearsal and storage space at Salem Lutheran Church, which decided to close because of a dwindling congregation.
The theater company must vacate Salem by the end of this month, and will probably rehearse, short-term, in the community room at Shore Hill apartments, 90th Street and Shore Road, while storing its gear inside a rented garage a distance away.
“We need a place where we can do everything,” Huizinga said. “We will never stop doing shows or classes, but so much energy is expended looking for a home for us.”
Not surprisingly, the troupe is chomping at the bit to return to the army base.
But, before that can happen, the base’s security requirements have to be assured.
“My first job as commander is to keep the security at the post, but I am definitely determined to do it in some way,” Gould said. “This is America’s army. It belongs to the citizens of New York City and we are in New York City. We have to try to accommodate the community.”
While it may take some time, Gould added, “We are going to figure it out.”
And, he stressed, while they are at it, they will likely create a system that will allow other community events to occur on the fort.
That can’t happen fast enough for Huizinga.
“Narrows Community Theater is looking forward to working with Fort Hamilton Army Base and Colonel Gould to make this happen, sooner rather than later,” she said.