Painting the Dionysus Theatre

I apologize for not posting in a while—I’ve spent the last few weeks far away from my computer, about five stories off the ground on rickety scaffolding. Why, you ask? Well, I’ll tell you.

It all started a month ago this coming Monday, when I woke up to find snow on the ground. We only got a dusting here, but just north of us, they got hit really hard. As luck would have it, that’s exactly where the painting crew was coming from.

We had set up the scaffolding the day before, and the plan was simple: they’d tackle half the building the next day and finish the rest by the end of the week. But then came the snowstorm. Suddenly, their timeline shifted, and they told me they wouldn’t be able to get back here for at least two weeks. Two weeks! So, I had a choice: wait around and hope for better weather—or grab a roller and do it myself.

If you’ve ever caught yourself thinking, “How hard could it be to paint the exterior of a historic four-story building by myself?” I now have the answer for you: very.

It took me more than three weeks to finish. Three exhausting, nerve-wracking, borderline-insane weeks. There were days when the scaffolding felt like it might collapse under me and others where I found myself silently questioning my life choices while scraping old paint off cornices.

I tried to document the process—I really did—but most days I was so focused on the work that I forgot to record. Still, I managed to put together a video to show you what I did capture. Hopefully, it gives you a glimpse into what I’ve been up to all this time.