Staff photos / Bob Coupland From left, Joe Asente, president of the Millennial Theatre Company in Youngstown, Girard Mayor Mark Zuppo and Jeff Mentzer of the technology committee for MTC, stand outside the Wellman Theater in Girard to discuss MTC using the theater once it is renovated and ready for use.

GIRARD — A local theater group has met with Girard Mayor Mark Zuppo to look over the historic Wellman Theater on West Liberty Street as a possible location for future programs and events.

Zuppo and members of the Millennial Theatre Company of Youngstown toured the more than 200-seat theater recently and discussed ideas for the future.

“We want to help this theater company have a place to call home. They don’t have a place to call their own,” Zuppo said.

Joe Asente, president of the MTC, said the company does four performances per year. He said the performances require several weeks of rehearsals, which could be 32 weeks of the year.

Zuppo said he also received calls from Girard City School officials about the district using the theater for its plays. He said the high school performs two plays per year.

“We could coordinate the high school plays around the weeks the Millennial Theater Company needs the theater. That should be doable. If the city needed the theater to hold an event, we would, but we could rent it out,” Zuppo said.

The Wellman Theater has a main entrance lobby, a large stage area where movies were once shown, a balcony area and a small back area.

Zuppo said the city had asbestos removed from the theater and has brought on architect Anissa Nider, as work will be done on the roof.

“We would like to begin construction work here in 2026. We are waiting to hear from the architects of what to do with the basement,” he said.

Zuppo said most recently, a church met on weekends at the theater for worship services. The church has since left the location.

He said once work is completed on the theater, the city will work out arrangements on how it can be used.

“We will work to accommodate different groups. This will be for the community,” Zuppo said.

He said grants are being sought for work on the theater, and if the city can partner with the MTC, it will make it easier to secure money, especially from arts foundations.

Asente, who directs the plays for the troupe, toured the theater with executive board members and technical committee members and said the theater has great space and offers a lot of potential.

“There is so much history here. We have been looking at the theater for some time, even before we approached the city in the spring,” Asente said.

The Millennial Theatre Company travels and rents space from other theater companies.

“We split our time between the Youngstown Playhouse and other theater locations. We would like to have a space of our own. That has always been our goal,” Asente said.

He said the theater company tries to do four to five main stage productions, workshops and other events per year.

Zuppo said the building is known as the Wellman Theater, but naming rights are an option.

Asente said brainstorming is underway to determine how to adapt the building for live theater.

“It was a movie house when it started. There are no dressing rooms or formal areas for the cast to come together before the show. We have to figure out a way to make that work,” Asente said.

The theater has very little space along the sides and rear of the stage, he said.

Millennial would have to bring in its own sound and lighting equipment.

Asante and Zuppo said they will work together on the building in order to have shows and events for the 2026-27 season.

MTC has staged shows at several venues since it was founded in 2016 — most of them at the Hopewell Theatre in Youngstown.

Girard purchased the Wellman Theater building in 2023 for $72,000, with plans to renovate and reopen it as a performing arts venue. Officials have said the building needs a new roof, heating and air conditioning systems, restrooms and seating.

Zuppo said the 90-year-old building needs a thorough overhaul that will top $1 million. The city has received $300,000 from the state capital improvements budget for the theater renovation and city council earlier earmarked $150,000 of its American Rescue Plan money for the project.

The city has retained MS Consultants to do engineering work.