Church officials are not sure at this date whether it is feasible to repair their damaged recreational space used by the Paper Moon Players and a number of other community groups.

In the meantime, in true Broadway fashion and with the support of church officials, The Paper Moon Players say they will soldier on and continue their hard-luck season inside the Emmanuel Episcopal Church itself -- which was not damaged in the blaze.

The theater troupe has rented the modest space behind the 112-year-old Emmanuel Episcopal Church for more than 20 years. The hall had a full stage and could accommodate about 100 people.

Fire inspectors believe the blaze started in the kitchen as the result of faulty wiring, or possibly a stovetop burner left unattended. The troupe's president, Elinore Carrabba, said that she rushed to the scene of the blaze and what she saw made her heart sink.

"I couldn't breathe," she said. "There was a lot of stuff thrown out -- bits of broken ceiling, files, chairs -- a lot of water damage. It was very sad. It hurt so much because we put so much of ourselves into it. It felt like my own house burned down."

The Paper Moon Players lost everything in the conflagration -- props, costumes and sound equipment.

Carrabba says that 60 to 70 percent of the Paper Moon Players' audience is made up of neighborhood senior citizens who enjoy quality live theater that's easily accessible for what they would pay to see a movie.

"We are the last show in town," Carrabba said. "We have people who are very loyal."
Three years ago, the Paper Moon Players won an Off-Broadway Obie Award for their performance of "The Lion in Winter."

She said the dedicated core of performers of the non-profit group will never really be able to make up for the losses they have sustained in the fire.

Many of the troupe's talented members are city workers, teachers and advertising people -- working folks who love the theater so much they often donate some of their own furniture and other household items to help out the show.

Group leaders have investigated the possibility of relocating to another venue that could possibly support the shows, but Carrabba said she hopes Emanuel Episcopal Church will decide to rebuild the gutted space and make it even more accommodating than it was before.