Today we’d like to introduce you to Tammy Pierchoski.
Hi Tammy, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
On a cold February afternoon in 2007 the board of directors of a tiny nonprofit community theatre organization, Southern Tennessee Area Arts Repertory (STAAR), in Giles County, Tennessee, visited a potential new “home” in a Victorian-era building located on Pulaski’s historic Courthouse Square.
The street-level former retail space was immense and seemed perfect for the large-cast productions and dedicated audiences. They found they were close to breaking fire codes with their cast size alone! With pen in hand poised to sign the lease, Tammy Pierchoski, who is now Executive Director of STAAR Theatre at Antoinette Hall, questioned the owner about the exterior appearance of the second floor with its unusual mansard roofline.
The owner suggested the curious entourage take a look, and up an exterior metal staircase they went.
Dark and dusty from decades of neglect, a wide hallway lead to ceiling-high double doors. With illumination from a single flashlight, the determined group pried open the nailed-shut doors only to discover that inside was an abandoned opera house.
“We soon discovered that the once opulent performance hall built in 1868 had been known as Antoinette Hall Opera House,” Pierchoski said. “The community enjoyed plays, traveling entertainers, community events, musical performances and more for several decades.”
When its doors closed in the 1930s at the pinnacle of the Great Depression, its retail inhabitants, who were only concerned about the ground level commercial space, and the community had walked away.
“The spectacular, forgotten opera house needed loving proprietors and grateful theatergoers,” Pierchoski said. “We hoped that would be STAAR.”
The owner agreed that the building could be in no better hands than the board of the all-volunteer STAAR Theatre non-profit.
“He recognized that our group was not only committed to enhancing arts education for the community and bringing local and traveling performances to the stage, we were also willing to accept the challenge of preserving and restoring the Opera House for current and future generations,” Pierchoski said.
The deal was done. Since STAAR leased and eventually purchased the structure, the nonprofit has operated a successful 150-seat theater from its comfortable and accessible street-level facility beneath historic Antoinette Hall. For more than 20 years STAAR Theatre at Antoinette Hall has offered a full calendar of locally produced musicals, dramas and dances. For instance, within a 12-month period STAAR presented more than 50 performances with approximately 600 children ages 3-18 and more than 300 adults on stage as well another 100+ teens and adults directing, assisting, coaching and providing technical service for productions.
“Like in the days of Antoinette Hall’s glory, many entertainers from outside the area come to STAAR to perform, bringing cultural, theatrical and musical events,” Pierchoski said, adding that the community has enjoyed Country music, Rock and Roll, Oldies, Celtic and Gospel music as well as dancers, magicians, comedians and traveling plays.
Additionally, it provides a rental venue for classes, meetings and special events as well as photo and video shoots. The Antoinette Hall Preservation Society, an arm of STAAR, has launched a major fundraising effort to support an extensive stabilization and restoration project. When completed, Antoinette Hall will be transformed into a multipurpose community arts center that will continue to be a home for STAAR.
“The restored facility will be available to arts, musical, theatrical, historic and other types of groups that enhance the region’s cultural life and stimulate the economy of the region,” Pierchoski said. “One hundred percent of all monies donated to the Antoinette Hall Preservation Society or generated from fundraising efforts and productions benefit restoration and adaptive reuse of the oldest surviving Opera House in Tennessee.”
Extensive information is available at antoinettehall.com, including history, photos, documents, future plans, facility rental rates and details, audition announcements, current production news, online ticket sales and payment options for donation and patron registration. •STAAR grew out of an organization that emerged in the late 1990s and was eventually incorporated as the Lynnville Area Arts Association (LAAA), which by the early 2000’s gathered local musical, theatrical and visual arts talent into a 501c3 and staged performances in a storefront building in the historic district of Lynnville, Tennessee.
The organization continued to grow to include theater, visual arts, musical performance and writers’ groups and was serving as an outlet for cultural arts for a broad area of Southern Middle Tennessee and Northern Alabama.
More than 10,000 have attended productions at STAAR, traveling from throughout Middle and South Central Tennessee and North Alabama and beyond. As an integral part of the community, STAAR encourages economic growth by inviting its guests to eat at local restaurants, spend the night at local lodging establishments and visit other historic and cultural attractions.
This dedicated group hopes that someday their story will reach like minded Nashville Artists and Legends in hopes they will partner with the group in order to save this amazing historic hall, preserving arts and history all at once and being a part of it forever! Keeping the dream alive is what Tammy and her team will continue to do until the day the curtain rises once again on this true gem….Tennessee’s Oldest Opera House…1868 Antoinette Hall!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road has been smooth as far as the wonderful volunteers who have worked diligently to create this wonderful space for the arts to thrive and grow! I guess the setbacks would include certain members of the county commission who prefer us to remain a quiet little historic town and not become too “touristy”….thus withholding support….though we understand this, we believe that controlled growth and tourism is what helps a rural community of our size survive! Our City Government supports us and we are grateful for this! Bringing people to see our beautiful county and share in it’s culture and history is something that we are passionate about! We hope to attract and keep interesting retail businesses on our historic square! Also, when you (the nonprofit) own your own buildings, the expenses like insurance, utilities, repairs are REAL!
I think the real FEAR lies in not being able to move fast enough to save Antoinette Hall from years of hot summers/cold winters. It will not stand forever and we know the clock is ticking. Realistically, raising 10 million dollars is quite a daunting task. We were put here for a reason…we know that it’s up to us…getting the story out to the right people is the key to unlock this precious treasure for generations to come!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Tammy’s BIO- Tammy is known for conducting the daily operations and financial management for STAAR- whose office is within the STAAR Theatre at Antoinette Hall complex.
Tammy has been affiliated with the non-profit, Lynnville Area Arts Association, DBA-STAAR Theatre at Antoinette Hall since 2005. She originally joined as a set designer/performer and has been the Executive Director for 15 years. Since 2006 she has been the producer of over 75 productions. In 2015 she shifted her focus to grant writing and has worked to constantly improve the facility for the cast and volunteers as well as for patrons.
Among her accomplishments and activities she is most proud of: she served the Pulaski Rotary Club for eight years as well as host/content producer/sales for the local cable network, Pulaski TV Today – Channel 3, showcasing all of Giles County and focusing on positive impact topics. She served on the advisory board for Columbia State College Commercial Entertainment Department, Board of Directors for the Boys and Girls Club of Pulaski, Giles County Tourism and Chamber of Commerce and was as co-chairman of CACIRA (Community Advisory Council on Inclusive Recognition and Acknowledgement) that brought to Giles County, using a local sculptor, the monument dedicated to the United States Colored Troops (USCT), blending art and local history.
With a sense of the importance of history, she, along with valued partners within the region, is currently spearheading the 1868 Antoinette Hall Opera House restoration project vowing to make sure this space is not forgotten and is brought back into the spotlight. Antoinette Hall was built in 1868 and is Tennessee’s OLDEST SURVIVING OPERA HOUSE….one of the oldest in the entire nation! It closed in the 1930’s. She strives to make her community strong and diverse in arts education and performance for children, teens and adults as well as being an advocate for economic growth/quality of life in Giles County supporting a vibrant, engaging downtown. Working alongside hundreds of volunteers, she understands that each person who contributes their time and talent has ownership in this beautiful place and strives to widen the reach with the offerings at STAAR.
Tammy has lived in Giles County since July 1990. She has been a professional baker for 45 years and was a ballet/tap dance instructor for 15 years with the Art of Dance in Lawrenceburg and Pulaski, from which she is retired. She is married to local estate planning attorney Stan Pierchoski. Together they raised and home-schooled their three children, who are now grown. They have 3 young grandchildren. She is a graduate of Calhoun College in Alabama with a Bacherlor’s Degree in Technical Drafting/Engineering.
What sets her apart from others…..she has developed a passion for not only the arts but preserving this magnificant Opera House with a NEVER SAY QUIT mentality!
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
You are NOT an island and theatre is a “team sport”! Maintaining a positive attitude – creating a culture of positivity is key to survival and success!
We all have the same goals here…provide arts education and exhibition opportunities to our region- helping to create confident, creative humans in a safe, fun, educational environment…all while saving an amazing piece of Tennessee History is well worth the efforts!
Contact Info:
- Website: staartheatre.org antoinettehall.com tammy@antoinettehall.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/staartheatre/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/staartheatrepulaski
