By Oregon Coast TODAY
As the Oregon Coast Council for the Arts nears completion of its ambitious capital campaign to renovate the Newport Performing Arts Center, the group is inviting the public to help outfit new backstage spaces — and even add their own names to this beloved community building.
When the “Entertain the Future!” a campaign to expand and refurbish the center began in 2014, no one imagined it would still be underway a decade later. But thanks to some unexpected obstacles, the plan had to be creatively modified — and the timeline extended — along the way.
The first six phases of the campaign saw the expansion and renovation of the lobby and women’s restroom, new lighting and sound equipment, signage and more.
The seventh and final phase, which is now underway, not only includes upgrades to the David Ogden Stiers Studio Theatre, it also modifies backstage spaces to allow room for more performers — doubling the number of dressing rooms, adding an additional greenroom and creating an 850-square-foot rehearsal space.
“We’re thrilled to have this final stage — this grand finale — underway,” said executive director Jason Holland. “Demolition has begun, and construction is expected to be completed by August. But that’s just half the story. Once these new spaces have been built, we’ll face our next task — outfitting them.”
From theater seats to appliances and everything in between, the new spaces will need more than just walls and floors to be ready for use by local and visiting performers. They will need to be furnished, equipped and outfitted for use, too.
That’s where the community is invited to pitch in.
Donations of any size are accepted, and even small contributions are helpful and will be gratefully accepted. Those who would like an opportunity to add their name to the building have several options. For a donation of $250, people can adopt a chair in the David Ogden Stiers Studio Theatre. As a thank you, the donor’s name, or that of a loved one, will be displayed on that seat. Donors who would prefer to sponsor a dressing station in one of the building’s six new dressing rooms can do so for a donation of $500, with their name, or a name of their choosing, displayed.
People wishing to make an even bigger impact are invited to name a space within the building, such as a dressing room or even the concessions booth. These limited opportunities are offered as a thank you for gifts ranging from $7,500 to $35,000.
Several naming gifts are pending announcement, and others have already been announced — such as the David Ogden Stiers Studio Theatre, the Ramona Martin Rehearsal Room, the Brookhyser Dressing Room, the Don & Ann Davis Scenic Workshop and the Chris & Julia Carlson Box Office.
More naming opportunities remain, Holland said.
“It’s been a long road,” Holland said. “This initiative began so long ago that many have never known the PAC at a time when it wasn’t in the throes of the capital campaign. We’re excited to finally bring to fruition a vision that began more than 10 years ago. We’re also mindful of the fact that the community has been giving toward this project for that same length of time. This building belongs to the community — to all of us — in a very real sense. It was a community effort to bring it to life back in the 1980s, it’s a community effort to renovate it now, and we’re hopeful that these refurbishments will indeed ‘Entertain the Future’ in our community for many years to come.”
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Wondering if any of the changes will include ADA compliance. At present, there is no bathroom or access to the balcony area for wheelchair users. An elevator is needed.