Small towns can have great performance arts centers

Some good information on how a small (but wealthy) ski town was able to build a state-of-the-art performance center.

Jackson Hole Guide News & Guide, 2/28/07 - Jackson Hole center for the arts opens: "Off Square Theatre Company, one of the Center for the Arts’ 17 resident organizations, will rent the pavilion’s rehearsal hall, adjacent to the lobby, as its own space for classes, auditions, rehearsals and more. It currently pays $16,000 a year for its offices in the Arts and Education Pavilion, and will pay $15,000 a year for the rehearsal hall. Charges for nonprofit use of the Center Theater for ticketed events amount to $500 a night for rehearsals and technical run-throughs and $1,000 a night for performances. The center charges slightly more for non-ticketed events as it will lose revenue if not handling ticket sales, for which it charges a 10 percent surcharge. For ticketed events, the facility provides box office and marketing services, concessions and ushers.

Commercial renters of the Center Theater will pay $2,500 a night. ...

The Center for the Arts’ capital campaign to raise $35 million completely paid for the Arts and Education Pavilion and for the design, engineering, construction and equipment in the Performing Arts Pavilion – 'everything down to the piano,' Berry said proudly of the newly acquired 9-foot Steinway grand. ...

The Center for the Arts’ project started as an ad hoc collection of Jackson Hole arts organizations in 1991. Following several years of feasibility studies, the center incorporated in 1995 and embarked on the design and fundraising process. A dedicated board and staff were assembled and, through a public/private partnership, the center was funded by its $35 million, seven-year private capital campaign. In total, the Center for the Arts encompasses 15 studios, 21 administrative offices, three classrooms, three conference rooms, two galleries, five outdoor public spaces, two lobbies, six theater support rooms, one darkroom lab and one theater."

economic development
creative class
third places
Jackson Hole

Miami's New Performing Arts Center

This article has quite a bit of information on what has worked and hasn't worked in the first three months of the new performing arts center in Miami.

Miami Herald, 1/28/07 - Before the Carnival Center for the Performing Arts opened in October...: "Before the Carnival Center for the Performing Arts opened in October, culminating nearly a quarter century of civic dreams, few in South Florida knew what to expect from the $446.3 million center's inaugural season."

Booking is the key for a performing arts center

This article has some useful info on how to run a successful performing arts center.

MyWestTexas.com, 12/31/06 - Right manager crucial to performing arts center success: "Between the four resident companies,[Paul Beard, managing director of the Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth] said the hall has 10 weeks of Broadway shows and the hall itself presents about 40 concerts that tend to be more commercial. Space is rented to the four resident companies and outside groups, plus the hall hosts music education for children.

"'For all that, the key concept is high occupancy. Our belief is a busy building is a happy building. That enhances our financial situation and gives us a viable base of amortization. Most costs are recovered by earned income,' Beard said....

"'What you quickly learn in this business is it's not the gross that matters, it's the net. It's not what the show costs, it's the return you get on the show that matters. You could conceivably make more money by spending more money,' Beard said....

"Mesa (Ariz.) Arts Center, which opened in 2005-06, hosted more than 600 shows from September through May with a couple of rentals in June, Executive Director Gerry Fathauer said. Some of the performers included Michael Crawford, Olivia Newton-John and Trisha Yearwood, along with plays and other events....

"The Mesa facility serves the Phoenix metro area with four theaters -- a 99-seat black box, and venues with 200, 550 and 1,600 seats. The set-up gives the center 'a lot of flexibility.'"

Location, Location, Location

A NY Times piece on a state-of-the-art theater built in a location that no one visits. Location is also critical to music venues, so this article seems relevant. The hope for this facility is that in time both production companies and fans will discover and appreciate it. Similarly, for a music venue in the same situation, the question is, "Do its owners have enough financial reserves to keep it afloat until it is profitable?"

37 Arts : "Erik Orton, whose musical 'The Ark' ran at 37 Arts for a month, raved about the space’s facilities, but he questioned whether its locale hurt sales. 'We had a show that was very family- and tourist-friendly; the neighborhood is neither,' he said. 'The theater is in the middle of nowhere. Anyone who came said: "This is the most amazing theater. Why did they build it here?"'”

Concert halls as an economic driver

The New York Times reports that five North American cities have unveiled new concert halls this fall, including Costa Mesa, CA; Nashville; Toronto; and Miami. In recent years Philadelphia; North Bethesda, Md.; Fort Worth; and Omaha have already done so. Altanta hopes to do so.
In Cities Across the United States, It's Raining Concert Halls, 9/3/06: "As concert halls have evolved into multipurpose destinations — complete with chic restaurants, bars and the inevitable education centers — local officials and business leaders have come to view them as a chance to revive a downtown or add luster to their city. Orchestra administrators see a draw for new audiences and a means of raising their group’s profile. Music directors envision a platform to artistic greatness. Orchestra members hear wonderful new acoustics. The music-loving public looks forward to more and better concerts.

“'There’s a sense that a concert hall can truly enrich a community,' said Deborah Borda, the president of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. ...

"A look at how the new halls came into being reveals a pattern.

"An orchestra outgrows its old multipurpose hall. A powerful person steps up with drive and money. The planners woo local officials and donors. A celebrity architect is engaged. A large public relations firm begins an expensive campaign trumpeting the architectural and acoustic glories of the new hall."

Salt Lake looks to Denver's model

One of the best articles about how Denver moved forward as a cultural center was recently posted in the Salt Lake Tribune, 7/02/06, AMSLC arts lovers are inspired by the success of theater complex in Colorado, which hopes to duplicate the effort.

"With more than 11,000 seats, Denver's [Performing Arts] complex stands next to a newly expanded convention center on Curtis Street and 14th. Only pedestrians are allowed on the 12-acre block. Parking is a snap at a 1,700-stall garage. Light rail is handy.

"There also are three restaurants - one includes a lounge singer who wanders the room in a shimmery pink evening gown - along with a banquet hall, design studios for sets and costumes and theater schools (including the National Theatre Conservatory) for adults and children.

"... after building the Buell in 1991 from the shell of an arena that once showcased wrestling matches, Denver leaped to the A-list. Suddenly, it was Denver, not Los Angeles or Chicago, launching the national touring shows for Disney's 'The Lion King' in 2002 and 'Sunset Boulevard' in 1996. ...

"Today, the city says the theaters attract 1.1 million to 1.6 million visitors a year and they generate about $30 million in ticket sales, according to The Denver Post."