Theater and the arts have always been a prominent attraction in Vermont , and the Waterbury Festival Players certainly lend their talent to the New England mix. Yet when the newly formed group embarked on a venture early this year to build a new indoor summer theater, the Waterbury Festival Playhouse, their dreams almost didn’t become a reality.

“The company we hired to erect the new theater wasn’t living up to what we agreed upon,” said George Pierce, a Waterbury businessman who orchestrated the project and donated land upon which the theater could be built. “Once we realized the project couldn’t go forward as it was, we decided to look elsewhere. That’s when I thought of Universal Fabric Structures and contacted them.”

Universal Fabric Structures (UFS) is a Quakertown, Pennsylvania-based manufacturer of fabric structures who, for over 30 years, has been offering quality fabric structures to satisfy a variety of project requirements.

While many of the Waterbury Festival Players were expressing concern about their 2006 summer season, and having an appropriate venue at which to perform, UFS was able offer them a plan that would see to it the venue stayed on schedule. UFS created a rent-to-buy package which made it affordable for the theater to get the project finished this year and open in the same summer.

“Originally we wanted a theater that we would set up in the summer and take down in the winter,” according to Pierce.  “But UFS cautioned us that putting it up and down would cause more wear and tear than erecting a permanent building that could sustain the elements.”

The theater company was seeking a unique look, so UFS designed a theater to meet all their specifications. In two weeks UFS erected the structure at the customer site in Waterbury Center , VT.   To get the job done, UFS designed a 49’ x 106’ TFS/RV building with a Bell-end. The fabric they used, made by Seaman, was tan on the exterior, black on the interior. The TFS style building provided the unique look the theater company was seeking with a Bell-end on one side instead of the traditional flat end gable. This aesthetically pleasing model gives the exterior and interior of the structure a clean, wrinkle-free appearance.

Until the erection of the Theater Company’s venue, no other known fabric structures existed in the area. Now, however, since the installation of the theater, a local ski resort in Stowe , VT expressed interest in a structure. UFS will be installing a structure for them by the end of this year.

The TFS Series of structures is Universal’s premium aluminum frame product line that delivers a striking appearance and adaptable, durable performance in any climate. Engineered using the principle of the peaked arch profile, the TFS has proven its viability and versatility on projects ranging from tennis facilities to airplane hangers. The TFS can be environmentally controlled in virtually any climate and offers a snow shedding capability.

The TFS model is designed to be quickly installed for temporary or permanent projects. If your needs change, it can be easily and cost-effectively relocated or expanded. In today’s rapidly changing environment, this kind of flexibility is invaluable.