Welcome to Basile Westfield Playhouse

By STU CLAMPITT

Westfield Playhouse has a new name. In honor of a sizable donation from philanthropists Frank and Katrina Basile, the Main Street Productions (MSP) board of directors has decided to rename the building “Basile Westfield Playhouse.”

At a press conference Wednesday afternoon, several MSP board members had the opportunity to thank the Basiles in person and on the record.

“This is absolutely wonderful and thank you very, very much for the donation,” MSP Vice President Bill Miller said. “In honor of the donation, we on the board have decided that we are going to change the name of the physical building of our home here from the Westfield Playhouse to the Basile Westfield Playhouse. We are already three-quarters of the way to getting [the new signage] up, so you will see it on the front of the building very soon.”

Frank Basile said he was the one who should be thanking MSP for the change to help promote the arts in Westfield and beyond.

Reporter photo by Stu Clampitt

“I want to thank you and the board and the theater for giving Katrina and me the opportunity to do this – to use our resources for something that is this important in the community,” Basile said. “One of the factors that motivated us to do this is the fact that this is a hands-on board that does the work. They are passionate about it and I love it. It what’s most larger organizations do that have paid staff, but here you have board members doing it, which is even better, in our opinion. And of course, working with you, Bill, I’ve seen the many hats that you wear with it. From the business part of it to the design work, the writing including the press release and everything else. I really appreciate that.”

Miller and the rest of the board are looking forward to being able to offer even more to Hamilton County because the donation comes with no strings.

Reporter photo by Stu Clampitt

“The donation that they have given us is going to let the theater go to the next level,” Miller said. “One of the very important things is that this is an unrestricted gift, so we are going to take a large part of that and put it into operations. As most of you know, community theaters have very limited budgets. It was not that long ago that we were hand to mouth. Everything we took in from the plays we turned around and spent for the plays.”

MSP Board Member Tom Smith, who Miller called MSP’s “anchor to the community” interjected, “It was August of 2020 when Kevin [Shadle] said we have $19 in the operations account.”

Thanks to the Basile donation and the level of community support for the new playhouse, MSP is on much more solid ground now than they were before the pandemic.

According to MSP President Brandi Davis, “The donation from Frank and Katrina Basile will help guarantee that we will continue to be able to produce the high-quality entertainment that Westfield has come to expect from MSP.”

The Basiles told The Reporter they prefer to donate to smaller organizations so they can see that they are helping make a tangible impact.

“We like to be involved in organizations where we can help to make a difference,” Basile said.

One reason they chose Westfield Playhouse is because they are both fans of live theater.

“With this new building, I can see where this is going to make a difference in Westfield – in the entire area – to give the residents here another arts option: that is plays,” Basile said. “Plays are Katrina’s and my first love. We donate to other organizations, but our first love is the theater. And you guys really do it right.”

Frank and Katrina Basile thanked the MSP board repeatedly for the opportunity to be a part of the Westfield and Hamilton County arts community. The gratitude for this new partnership clearly goes both ways.

“It was a joy to work with Mr. Basile on this donation,” Miller said. “He believes strongly in our mission and wanted to help us take our theater to the next level. In the coming several months you will see new improvements to our home to enhance your experience while at our playhouse.”

This rendering by Main Street Productions Vice President Bill Miller clearly shows how the new signage will look once approved by the city of Westfield. (Rendering provided by Bill Miller)