SOUTH BEND, Ind.,– When you buy tickets to a show, you’re usually buying one or two seats at the Morris Performing Arts Center. Not Tim Bennett, Bennett currently has 2,654 seats.
2,654 seats are being replaced in the Morris renovation. The 100-year-old South Bend staple is getting an inside upgrade–something common in show business, but for Bennett, there’s something special about these chairs.
“These are beautiful pieces of history,” Bennett said. “From 20 to 60 years old, these backs are good. The logs are handmade. “
He says theater seats are more than just seats…
“This world of dancing, or being in a band, lets you go somewhere, right?” Said Bennett. “It takes someone in the audience away from their problems, their kids, their mortgage, these problems, whatever—and they can be transported to this country. So, when I saw that the chairs were going to the landfill, I went in and said, ‘What can we do?'”
As the saying goes, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, but Bennett isn’t looking to save all 2,564 seats. He is hoping to restore the seats for a cause near and dear to his heart: Equity in the Arts, a program that increases access to Morris and the arts for all.
“My grandfather played in this room, I played in this room. And I need someone who can handle this project to play this room. Being on a tour bus and going back to their hometown on stage and doing a show, what a great thing!
For those interested in taking home seats, Bennett is accepting donations that will go directly to the Equity in the Arts program.
“Equity in the Arts and those kinds of programs have allowed me to be in live entertainment, and film and TV my whole life,” Bennett said. “They gave me that, and I want to be able to put it back into another child.”
Driven by art and guided by his heart, serving his community is second nature to Bennett.
“As a soldier, first of all, I am proud to have served my country. I’m probably more proud that I’m serving my community now, it never left me. “
The first thing he wants to save, he is looking for 5000 square feet, but he also wants people to arrange the seats. If you can help or want to donate, you can email Tim at whattim@aol.com or call (310) 713-2816.
