On Feb. 20, around 3:15 a.m., Alaska State Troopers were notified of a fire at the Triumvirate Community Theatre in Kenai. No one was hurt; however, after the building was described as a total loss, hearts were broken across the community.
Theatre president, Joe Rizzo, said he got the call from a friend and felt helpless while he watched the theatre burn down. He said they’ve been building it up for years since moving to the location from the Soldotna Mall in 2007. They even just finish installing an expansion to the theatre two weeks before the fire.
“It’s kind of like losing a family member in some ways. I mean it’s not as bad as that but it certainly has the same elements of grief,” Rizzo said. “We worked on this theatre for ten years. You know remodeling it, and having shows here. There’s a memory in every plank of that stage.”
He said it was the community members that built the memories and the stage. For two years, he said the shop class from Nikiski High School was out helping with the remodel.