Sikeston Little Theatre seeks public’s help to repair damage from tornado

SIKESTON — The Sikeston Little Theatre is in need of support after the May 26 EF3 tornado tore the roof off the building and caused extensive damage.

The Sikeston Little Theatre is run entirely by volunteers who were only a week away from opening their most recent production, “The Play That Goes Wrong,” when the tornado struck. 

“We had our set and everything ready to go,” said Dennis Bohannon, vice president of the SLT Board of Directors. “We were supposed to open this past week on June 6.”

According to Bohannon, the theater plans to perform the play at a later date, but board members are unsure when that will be. 

“We are going to come back eventually and do the show, we just aren’t for sure when,” Bohannon said. 

Bohannon said the stage floor has been water-damaged beyond repair and will need to be replaced.

“There is damage to our lighting system above the stage, and the stage roof and side wall were damaged, too,” Bohannon said.

According to Bohannon, the damage to the roof and ceiling allowed rain to pour in, causing all of the water damage to the stage floor and equipment.

Sherry Chessor, president of the SLT Board of Directors, said the board has yet to hear from the insurance company and are unsure when they will.

“We started a GoFundMe for $5,000, ideally to possibly cover the deductible,” Chessor said. 

Everyone at the Sikeston Little Theatre has been extremely impacted by the theater’s damage from the tornado, according to Chessor.

“It’s been heartbreaking,” Chessor said. “We were already prepared for a show to start, and we had just approved the new season as well. So, now it’s just placed everything on hold so it’s been difficult.

Chessor continued: “The theater really isn’t owned particularly by anybody; it’s just run by volunteers so all of this has fallen on us board members.”

Bohannon, who is also the director of the “The Play That Goes Wrong,” also said the damage to the theater has been heartbreaking. The Sikeston Little Theatre is an important asset to the community, he said

“We provide a lot of entertainment to the local communities, and we also have people participate in our shows from all over the region, and donating would help us get back on track to where we were,” Bohannon said. “It would be an investment to the theater’s future. There’s no shows going on right now, and we won’t be able to do anything until the damage is repaired.” 

Chessor agreed.

“The theater really is such a great part of our community,” Chessor said. “It is a good resource for the kids when we do children’s productions, and it’s important to maintain the arts in the community.”

As of now, the theater still needs to raise $4,950 to meet their GoFundMe goal. To donate to the Sikeston Little Theatre, visit 

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-rebuild-sikeston-little-theatre?cdn-cache=0