At night, the neon marquee looks almost bright enough to cast a shadow. But inside the building, things are dim.

     Things are changing, though, for the interior of downtown’s community theater, The Haven. Electricians are working to replace some of the building’s aging auditorium lighting.

     “Those are lights that have probably been there 40 years,” said Asem Zeini, a Brookhaven Little Theatre board member.

     Among the lights to be replaced are the ones underneath the balcony, and some of the lighting on the walls of the auditorium.

     Zeini hopes electrical work will conclude this week. Professional painting work is scheduled for next week.

     The bottom half of the walls in the theater were painted by volunteers organized by JoAnna Sproles, BLT board president. The upper half of the walls will be professionally painted due to their height.

     The back wall of the auditorium was also painted.

     “It’s fairly easy to paint without any special needs,” Sproles said.

     As with the light, the painting was long overdue.

     “I don’t think any painting in that auditorium has gone on for 40 years,” Sproles said.

     These projects will join work already done on the building’s inside. Some plaster work and painting has occurred in the entryway and the bathrooms. New baseboards were installed in the entryway.

     BLT’s next production, Nunsense III, opens May 4 and Sproles said the improvements will be apparent.

     “We fully expect that the auditorium will be painted,” Sproles said.

     Before the play opens, Sproles said Zeini also plans to have some backstage work done by volunteers. That will entail some minor painting and cleanup, and the replacement of some carpet.

     “We want people to know their money is going to work,” Zeini said.

     The upgrades won’t only be visual though. BLT plans to install microphones from the auditorium ceiling over the stage and put in some new speakers. Some new lighting may also join the speakers.

     “We do sometimes fall short in being heard,” Sproles said.

     Sproles hopes to have a volunteer workday sometime in April to deal with the backstage needs. Sproles said any students in need of service hours can email her at joannasproles@gmail.com.

     “It will be one day, probably a four hour half-day,” Sproles said.