The Academy of Children’s Theatre kicked off an expansion project this month to build a larger performance stage at its Richland headquarters at 213 Wellsian Way.

Construction of the $1.5 million project will take place over the course of three years. This isn’t the first time ACT has undergone a transformation.

Shortly after moving into a former storage warehouse building in 2004, ACT began renovating the space to add two classrooms and a black box theater that seats about 140 people. As programming grew, so did plans to expand the performance space. But Anne Spilman, interim executive director, said those plans took a backseat from 2008-11 as the economy stalled and capital funding slowed.

“We’re only building as we have money, so we’re not taking out loans,” said Spilman, who has been involved with ACT since 1995 when she took the stage as Villager No. 2 in the performance of “A Christmas Carol.”

“We have a pot of money, and we’re excited to renovate into a more usable space,” she said.

This latest project will result in a multi-use theater with 300 seats and the first phase of construction, which began May 1, will include updating the heating, ventilation and air conditioning unit and electrical system, as well as adding storage space outside to free up inside space.

“We identified summer is the best time for renovations,” Spilman said. “So we’ll try to build over the next three summers. Hopefully by the end of the third summer we’ll have a completed project.”

MH Construction, based in Kennewick, will oversee the work. The second phase will include adding risers, a raised stage, sound booth and electrical components for the stage.

In summer 2020, the final phase will be the finishing touches. “All of the fun, theater elements such as the curtains and spotlights and the projector screen that make it a theater,” Spilman said. “Those components range from $100,000 to $100 million—the options we have are wide. We are going to make the best educational theater we can, depending on how much money we raise (for that phase).”

ACT hopes to raise money through naming opportunities, said Spilman, from the main building to specific rooms inside. A cornerstone of the campaign is marketing a $1,000 name-a-chair program. About 45 sponsored chairs have been sold.

“We’ve already sold the naming opportunity for the light and sound booth,” she said, adding that it’s the perfect way for people in the community to leave a legacy. “It’ll be a great way to honor local people who love theater. We’re trying to help them be able to make a statement that, ‘Yes, this was important for the community.’ ”

When construction is complete, the black box theater will remain but seating will be reduced from 140 to 99 since some of the building will be used to create the larger theater to accommodate shows that currently need to be performed off site.

“Our fall show is a good example of this—a big musical. We do them at Richland High School,” she said, adding that many organizations in the art community are fortunate to work with the school district to use that space. “We are No. 7 out of 8 on a priority list, so we have to be patient and flexible. The school district works wonderfully with us, but there are a lot of requests over there. And a theater needs a lot of time to bring our equipment in, to practice. That takes a whole week at least.”

It also costs about $8,000 to rent the school’s theater for a performance, and Spilman said once renovations are done to allow large performances to be done in house, ACT would love to be able to direct that money into programming.

“We can dictate our own schedule and we can get out of the way for other organizations so they can have an opportunity to rent the school’s theater,” she said.

Along with a larger theater, ACT plans to add a green room, which is typically used in the evening for rehearsals but can be used in the daytime for classes.

Many of ACT’s summer programs sell out, and these renovations will allow the organization to serve more young people.

Spilman has fond memories of her time as a student at ACT, and although she didn’t study theater in college, she’s happy to be back working for an organization she loves.

“It gave me an opportunity to practice critical thinking. What happens when someone forgets to come on stage? What do you do?” she said, recalling some of the experiences she gained from classes. “Also,  the  (improvisational) classes I took helped me with public speaking and adaptability.”

ACT provides education programs themed around different theatrical and literary ideas to more than 3,000 students each year. Students learn everything from the basics of theater to the overall production of a live performance.

For more information or to donate, visit academyofchildrenstheatre.org or call 509-943-6027.