By Michael Carter
For The Enterprise
On a cold drizzly night in the early 1990s, Neil Larson and his wife went to watch their son perform in an elementary school honor-band concert. With the audience spilling out of the gymnasium doors and the performing students crowded together, Larson decided something needed to be done.
“It was not adequate for kids performing,” said Larson, now president of the Northshore Performing Arts Center Foundation (NPACF). “Everyone agreed a better facility was needed, but nothing happened.”
It has taken 16 years, but a state-of-the-art 600-seat performing arts theater now stands next to Bothell High School. The facility is graced with premium lighting and acoustics, a recording studio and an orchestra pit with an automatic lift. It serves not only the entire Northshore School District, but also as a venue for professional theater acts. On Feb. 19, the foundation will begin a series of events that include Grammy Award-winning pianist George Winston, musician Richie Havens and the Tony Award-winning musical “Ain’t Misbehavin’.”
On Feb. 26, a grand opening gala will feature Ben Vereen in a tribute to Sammy Davis Jr. Receptions before and after the performance will be available.
“He may be the No. 1 Broadway actor today,” said David Shaw, the foundation’s programming director.
“This is kind of like a little piece of New York,” foundation executive director Ed Parker said. “It’s like a reward for our community.”
For Larson, it is a reward for more than a decade of work.
In 1995, his first steps were sending paperwork to state and federal officials to gain tax-exempt status for the then-new foundation. It took until May 2004 for construction to finally begin.
Shaw, the former executive director of the Everett Performing Arts Center, described the project as “dead in the water” when the group looked for possible construction sites. Then, they were approached by school district officials who suggested the project be combined with a bond issue aimed at renovating Bothell High School. The combined project was approved by voters in 2002, providing about $6.3 million.
“It made the most sense,” Larson said. “At the time they came to us, we had no other viable project.”
The foundation pledged to raise $2.5 million for many of the features that transform what would have been a school theater into a professional performance space. One of those features is a “fly tower” – a structure that gives stage crew room to move enormous, professional-quality stage sets. The stage also features catwalks to suspend stage lights.
Thus far, the foundation has managed to secure about $1.5 million with $200,000 in outstanding pledges to collect. Plans to raise the rest of the money include a theater-seat and tile-naming fundraiser. The foundation also is looking for a large corporate donation to name the center.
The center has the support of state Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe, D-Bothell. She successfully lobbied for a $1 million allocation in the state budget, which is part of the $1.5 million total the foundation has raised so far.
“Young and old will have the opportunity to experience art, music, dance and other performances,” said McAuliffe, who also serves as foundation vice president. “Recognizing (the center) will enrich the lives and the livelihood of the people in our community.”
The foundation and the school district also worked with the city of Bothell, which facilitated the permits, said Susan Stoltzfus, director of communications for the district. An agreement among the three parties assures “the community is served,” and that there is “appropriate usage” of the facility, Larson said.
Since the center is located on district property, the district owns and manages it. Money earned by the center will be used to cover operating costs and general upkeep.
Center use has been allocated equally between the foundation and the district. “There’s been an avalanche of interest,” Shaw said, adding that the venue already is booked for the next two years. “We want to have a wide range of interests exhibited.”
The district plans on using the center for theater productions and other performances for its six junior highs and three high schools. Having a first-rate facility is something Stoltzfus said she believes will help the education process.
“It gives them the extra little tinge of a professional performance. I’m looking forward to having my kids performing there some day,” she said.
Stoltzfus says that the center will not be limited to school performances. She said it has already been used for a parent meeting about student-graduation requirements and it is available to rent for meetings.
The proximity to the school could have advantages for students, providing opportunities to work around professionals and attend workshops, Shaw said.
The center does have its drawbacks, Stoltzfus said. Since no extra parking was included with the center’s construction, it shares the parking lot with the high school and Pop Keeney Stadium. Scheduling conflicts will cause center events to be held on different days than school events.
Parker said he feels the new performing arts center can turn Bothell into a destination area.
Larson agrees and said people coming from outside of the Northshore area will bring money into the community.
“Bothell lacks a vision where it’s going to be,” Larson said. “It needs to look to the future. Everyone should expand their vision about where the community is going.”
Michael Carter is a student in the University of Washington Department of Communication News Laboratory.
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