Strand Theatre in Shelbyville closes its curtains amidst insurance issues

SHELBYVILLE, Ind. – An entertainment staple in the Shelbyville community is closing its doors due to its neighbors being condemned.

The Strand Theatre announced its closure on Tuesday morning due to issues with insurance coverage of their space.

The Strand has sat along South Harrison Street for more than a century. The space has been Shelby County’s premier venue for plays, concerts, movies, and more.

Since reopening in 2008, Director and Founder David Finkel said they have presented 1,786 performances and have had 160,288 patrons.

The theater has a wall that is shared with its neighbors. The City of Shelbyville has condemned the next-door space, deeming it unsafe, and is tearing it down.

Throughout the bidding process with contractors, tours through the Strand raised concerns about the connecting wall.

“In no way, shape or form is The Strand unsafe,” Finkel said. “In no way, shape or form is The Strand in danger. But for insurance and legal things, we wanted to make sure we were okay.”

The Strand said they were informed Monday that their insurance policy will be cancelled.

The theater seats will sit empty now as they have to suspend their operations immediately, cancelling five shows this week and all the live performances throughout the rest of May.

Hatoway Insurance Partners, Inc. said in a statement that the policy has not been cancelled and they are awaiting more information from the city about the future of the theatre.

The city attorney for Shelbyville also provided a statement that the insurance companies have yet to reach out to them.

The Strand is now crunching the numbers to see how they’ll stay afloat with no funds coming in through ticket sales.

“We added it up, by Friday, we have $5,520 worth of expenses with no revenue coming in, and then we will repeat that the following week,” said Finkel.

Organizers are hopeful they can bring up the stage lights and fill the house again, before it’s too late.

“When the money runs out, the game’s over,” said Finkel.

If you’re interested in donating to the theatre, click here.