EDMONDS — Bringing big city-league acts to South County while building community is the main mission for the Edmonds Center for the Arts. Everything about the upcoming season resonates with that charge, from booking in international talent to bolstering its educational programs.
“Music, dance, theater, comedy, friends, family and community — everything we do at ECA centers around the singular vision that performing arts, and a place in which to experience them, are essential to the health and vitality of our own home town, our region and our world,” said Joe McIalwain, executive director. “Additionally, we have a tremendous economic impact here in Edmonds for more than $3 million annually. Every time there is an event at ECA, the streets are busy, the restaurants are full and there is life in downtown Edmonds.”
Over its three years of operation, more than 164,000 people have enjoyed more than 400 events in the theater. Of that number, 116 events have been ECA signature presentations of world-class artists.
“We are just now hitting our stride,” McIalwain said. “It takes a while to build recognition. We concentrate on booking performers that have a broad audience appeal. That is central to our mission.”
Building upon three prior seasons, ECA recently introduced its 2010-11 initial lineup, including Richie Havens, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, JoDee Messina, Al Stewart, Vicki Lawrence and Johnny Clegg.
The strategy for booking this caliber of performers into ECA is a deliberate process.
“Being so close to downtown Seattle, we can’t book artists who play there, as a good part of our audience comes from Seattle,” McIalwain said. More than half of all audience members come from outside the greater Edmonds area. Close to 20 percent come from Seattle alone, according to McIalwain.
“We are working on improving the benefits to subscribers and donors,” he said.
Individual and business sponsors have already stepped up to support performances, contributing $42,000 to the upcoming season.
With more than 20 presentations in ECA’s full season package, subscribers can select all or choose just five shows, building a custom package. This direction is credited with boosting ticket sales by 18 percent for the 2009-10 season, with three complete sell-out performances.
Once the next season is booked, educational programs for school-aged children is McIalwain’s next initiative.
“We are working on how to bring artists to schools and bring kids into the theater,” he said. “When schools experience budget cuts, arts generally get reduced or eliminated. We have an opportunity to fill that need while building for our future.”
Last year the classical pianists from the Ahn Trio, who were performing at ECA, worked with orchestra students at Edmonds-Woodway High School to prepare for a competition. Student matinees were also arranged through the Edmonds School District for performances by the Peking Acrobats. ECA currently has a summer camp in the works.
A Seattle native, McIalwain graduated from the University of Washington before working for Shakespeare companies in Alabama and Cincinnati. He returned to the Northwest in 2001 as development director of the Kirkland Performance Center.
McIalwain came to ECA in January 2006. Three months later the theater embarked on an $18.5 million renovation project of its historic 1939 facility.
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