BILLINGS — Nearly five months after a partial ceiling collapse forced the temporary closure of the historic Babcock Theater, the downtown venue remains under construction, but its story is getting the spotlight in a new documentary celebrating The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
See how the Babcock has continued to move forward after closure for construction:
This week, workers from contractor Yesco installed a new "B" on the marquee and made other exterior repairs. It's all part of the theater's massive effort to return the marquee and entryway to its original 1955 glory and add much-needed safety improvements.
"This year was supposed to be an epic year for the Babcock," said Matt Blakeslee, executive director of Art House Billings, which manages the Babcock. "We had all these plans and we're very excited to make all of that happen.”
Art House has invested over $300,000 into the project, which has received a mix of public and private funding, including $250,000 in Tax Increment Financing (TIF) approved by the Billings City Council last year and ongoing fundraising by the Art House.
Related: City Council grants Billings Depot, Babcock Theater TIF money for improvements
Recent events have created a major setback.
Back in May, a portion of the Babcock’s interior ceiling unexpectedly collapsed, forcing the theater to shut its doors. Structural assessments have slowed the timeline for repairs. Blakeslee estimated it would cost around $900,000 and could potentially stretch into a year-long construction.
“Right now, we're currently working with insurance to figure out what next steps look like there," said Blakeslee. "Big price tag, which is why we're taking our time with insurance and the city to get it right.”
Related: Ceiling collapses at Babcock Theatre; high price tag expected for repair
The closure has given the theater more time to work on essential renovations. In the meantime, the Babcock’s absence is being deeply felt across the Billings community.
“The loss of the Babcock is essentially a third of our income for Art House, and so it's not insignificant to be closed here for us operationally,” said Blakeslee. “We as Art House are doing everything we can to get this place reopened and safe as soon as possible."
The theater, which was built in 1907, has long been a cultural landmark in downtown Billings and is known for showcasing major releases, throwback films and live concerts. Most planned events after the closure were moved to the Art House Cinema or other venue locations, but several had to be canceled. One of the most missed is the annual showing of the 1975 cult-classic "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" each October, which draws hundreds of dressed-up fans to the 720-seat theater.
"We just had to make the hard decision that we're not going to be able to do that because we just don't have the infrastructure to make it happen," said Blakeslee. “That's really, really sad and hard for us because we love hosting events like Rocky Horror Picture Show and other big screenings that we've been able to do."
Even without this year's spectacle to celebrate the film's 50th anniversary, the theater sees a silver lining.
A new documentary, titled "Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror", was released to celebrate that anniversary and features footage from inside the Babcock from last year's showings. According to Blakeslee, the film’s cinematographer, Warren Kommers, had recently moved to Billings and was renting office space above the Art House when he learned about the theater’s annual Rocky Horror event.
"He said, 'Sweet, can I bring my camera and get some footage?' So he came and he interviewed some people that are a part of Rocky Horror with us and got a lot of great footage of inside the Babcock people enjoying it," said Blakeslee. "Those scenes from the Babcock made the final cut.”
While it will not be the usual spectacle, viewers can still see Billings featured on the big screen. The documentary will premiere at the Art House this Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
“We're excited to not just share the story of Rocky Horror, but have that theater featured all over the world as this film continues to find ground,” said Blakeslee. "For us as local Billings people, it's awesome.”
For now, the timeline is still unclear on when the theater can officially return to full operations, but Blakeslee says there has never been a more important time to support local cinema.
“The Babcock is a staple of downtown Billings," he said. "The community just continues to show up, so that's a huge support.”
For more information about the Babcock Theater and Art House showtimes, click here.
