Study finds a new Central Oregon performing arts center has community, stakeholder support

The study included public and targeted surveys of about 300 people, interviews with 30 local stakeholders, and three town hall events that gathered input from the public and arts and business communities, according to Tuesday’s announcement by Central Oregon Center for the Arts .

The study found that were such a venue to be built, it should house a main theater/concert hall accommodating 1,200 to 1,500 seats, as well as an offstage green room and a 200-seat black box theater for smaller shows.

The venue should also have storage and rehearsal space, community areas, space for arts education and plenty of accessible parking, according to the study. The study also concluded the visual arts might have an important role to play.

In interviews, stakeholders said they want a facility with opportunities current venues do not have, and that the center should be something for everyone in Central Oregon, with accessibility to all.

“For many organizations, the terrific facilities that already exist in Central Oregon are either so chock full with events that scheduling is a perennial challenge, or they have size limitations that curb their usage, or both,” said Michael Gesme, music director of the Central Oregon Symphony and member of the Central Oregon Center for the Arts board. “My vision of a new facility is not about replacement. Rather, it is simply the expansion of opportunities for users and patrons in a region that will, in all likelihood, only continue to grow.”

During the town halls, the arts group learned the venue should be affordable for organizations that would use it, and that they’d want it to have a stage, orchestra pit and dressing rooms, and that, overall, residents want an “iconic” space capturing the character and environment of Central Oregon.

The online public survey found the respondents want concerts and classical music, musicals, dramatic and comedic plays, dance productions and festivals, and the different sized spaces to accommodate such a variety of events.

The Central Oregon Center for the Arts group had been active till the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, then went dormant before resuming its efforts over the past year. Jon Thompson, communications chair, said the group hopes to see its work completed by 2030.

This year, the organization will build its infrastructure in preparation for a capital campaign, Thompson said.

“We are thrilled to see the completion of this important study,” Laura Thompson, COCA board chair, said in the press announcement, adding that next steps identified by the consulting group are under way. “They include enhanced communications and fundraising programs/efforts, investing in organizational and grant-writing assistance, a refreshed and enhanced online presence, board development and more. This is a long-term project, but we are going to get it done.”