Mississippi Theater Volunteers Rebuild After Katrina

When Hurricane Katrina destroyed the Bay St. Louis Little Theatre, the community refused to let their cultural heart disappear.

Volunteers recently gathered for a backyard cleanup at the historic landmark in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. Armed with rakes and determination, they refreshed the grounds around a theater that represents their town's resilience.

"It's amazing what a community can do with a total effort, and they could have been doing anything else today, and they're here making our theatre beautiful," said Cheryl Grace, the theater's president since Katrina struck.

After the storm demolished their original building, Grace and volunteers found one of downtown's most neglected structures and saw possibility. They transformed it into a working theater, funded by grants and community donations.

Grace worked side by side with volunteers during the cleanup, including Ret Kolbenschlag, who has served as actor, stage crew member, and now groundskeeper. Kolbenschlag moved to nearby Waveland eight years ago and found more than entertainment at the theater.

"It's part of history here, and very special history, so anything we can do to bring more attention to the gems that we have here in Bay St. Louis and the Gulf Coast is just a plus," Kolbenschlag said.

The Ripple Effect

The theater runs entirely on volunteer power. Everyone from concession stand workers to actors to yard crew donates their time, creating a culture of shared ownership.

For Kolbenschlag and others pulling weeds and clearing debris, the cleanup represents something deeper than maintenance. They're protecting a space that survived disaster through community will.

"We're so fortunate to have the Bay St. Louis Little Theatre. It's exceptional talent and exceptional workmanship that goes on here, and this is just a way of preserving that," Kolbenschlag said.

The volunteers take pride in being part of the theater's ongoing story. Each person who helps maintain the grounds becomes another chapter in a history that refused to end with a hurricane.

Their transformation of a destitute building into a cultural gem proves what Grace believed all along: when a community commits to something meaningful, the future stays bright.