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 March 10, 2010

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 Contacting Us Minimize

Phone:
(970) 481-6630

Email:
info@estesparktheater.com

Mail:
SOPA
PO BOX 3077
Estes Park, CO 80517

Please contact us if you have any comments, questions or would like to make a tax-deductible donation of any size.  All input is valuable!


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Cello in the key of B

 SOPA Mission and Vision

Estes ParkThe mission of SOPA is simple and straightforward. SOPA is committed to establishing a performing arts center worthy of the rapidly growing arts community in the Estes Valley.

The vision of SOPA is to serve the community, to speak the languages of all performing arts, to engage people more deeply than performances alone are able to, in order to impact citizens in lasting ways that increases the value of the performing arts in their lives.

Those of us who live in Estes Park, the most beautiful mountain town in America, are being presented an opportunity to participate in the building of a performing arts center, a real working theater, for everyone - young and old - to enjoy. It will be a theater we can attend to be inspired, uplifted, to laugh, to cry, to experience the full range of human emotions.

SOPA, Inc is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.


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 Working Together
CACEP Logo

It is important to note that this effort by SOPA is fully endorsed and supported by the Cultural Arts Council of Estes Park. By working in collaboration, we all win!

Musical Gold
"Moving forward, positively...with a common goal."

  
 AMS Summary Report Minimize
Estes Park Performing Arts Center
Updated Operating Projection Summary
December 9, 2008
 
By AMS Planning & Research
 
User Needs Analysis:
 
Local Non-profit groups interested in using the Performing Arts Center included Estes Park Music Festival; Estes Park Repertoire Theater; Oratorio Society, Mountain Men, Mountain Aires, Estes Park Chorale; Scottish Highland Festival; Earthwood Galleries; Chamber Music of Estes Park; Estes Park Sings; Preludio Music and Fine Arts Guild of the Rockies.
 
Crucial to the overall support of the PAC is the need for extensive bookings in the summer and shoulder season. Regional universities expressing an interest in using the Performing Arts Center in the summer months included the dance and theater programs from the University of Colorado Boulder and the Little Theater of the Rockies and School of Music from the University of Northern Colorado.
 
Other groups indicating an interest included Mickey Burdick who operates the Butte Opera House in Cripple Creek and the Park Village Playhouse. There is also indication that other quality professional theater groups will want to book shows in the PAC.
 
Groups who indicated no current interest in the venue indicated they had sufficient performance space already or that the size of the proposed center was either too large or too small for their use.
 
Projected Schedule of Use:
 
Looking at rentals by local non-profit groups that responded to the survey, AMS projects a low of 51 and a high of 87 performances per year. This does not include any commercial or presented events.
 
Rentals by regional universities, primarily during the summer months, would range between 112 and 209 performances.
 
Operating Projections:
 
AMS projects that the Performing Arts Center will take approximately three years to reach a stable performance schedule. Assuming the projections are accurate, the Center will require a subsidy during the start-up years (which has already been promised by the Town.) The assumptions used in developing the operating projection include:
 
Theater seating capacity 433
Square footage 18,600
Fringe benefits for employees 30%
Concession contribution margin 35%
 
 
Local non-profit performance rate .75 per seat, avg. % sold, 55%
Other non-profit performance rate 1.25 per seat, avg. % sold, 60%
Commercial rental performance rate 2.00 per seat, avg. % sold, 80%
Convention meetings/lectures use 2.50 per seat, avg. % sold, 70%
 
 
Utilization Summary:
 
Total rental events 256
Total rental charge $107,655
Town sponsored sales 32,735
Concession sales 34,144
Box office 31,705
Chargebacks (labor, custodial fees, equipment rental) 33,280
Town subsidy 217,000
   
Total Operating Revenues $456,519
 
Salaries, taxes & benefits (Fulltime manager, operations/technical director, and administrative assistant/reception/box office. Part-time bookkeeper and marketing manager) $210,800
Other Staff (Stagehands, front of house managers, production assistants, etc.) 51,280
Overhead (telephone, postage, printing, licenses, equipment repair, supplies, etc.) 25,925
Programming (artist fees, production costs, marketing) 48,600
Occupancy (janitorial services, utilities, insurance, etc.) 96,534
Expense contingency 5% 21,657
   
Total Operating Expenses $454,796

 

Potential Economic Impact (based on national averages):
 
Direct spending (salaries, local purchases, etc.) $807,413
Audience expenditures (average $27.79 for 48,777 attendees) 1,355,513
   
Total Economic Impact $2,162,926
 
Recommended Next Steps:
 
Establish an endowment to subsidize rentals by local non-profit groups.
 

Download the complete 12/9/08 AMS Report (.pdf)

 


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 SOPA Board and Capital Campaign Committees
SOPA Board of Directors
Robert Gunn, Chairman
Jerry Rutledge, Vice Chairman
James Broomfield, Treasurer
Lynette R. Johnson, Secretary
Christopher Wood, Campaign Coordinator
Greig Steiner, Naming Rights/Contract Coordinator
Gail Upp
Stanton Black

SOPA Campaign Steering Committee
Mayor Bill Pinkham 
Julie Phares 
Roger Thorp 
Mark Elrod 
John Todd 
Jerry Rutledge 

SOPA Building/Design Committee
Roger Thorp, Co-chair
Mark Elrod, Co-chair
Bob Gunn
Linda Langer
Mac McCord
Tim Phillips
Richard Putney
Mark Richards
Walt Steige
Nancy Stevens
Greig Steiner
Ray Young

SOPA Publicity Committee
Julie Phares, Chair
Joan Allen
Tom Anderson
Gary Dempsey
Bill Ferguson
Doug Fox
Lora Gibbs
Wayne Groome
Kris Hazelton
Lynette Johnson
Kay Kirkman
Lee Lasson
Nick Molle
Barb Schwartz

Christopher E. Wood, Campaign Coordinator
Kay Kirkman, Grant Application Writer

  
 Overview

Grand PianoSOPA is currently engaging supporters towards progress in all phases of this effort, including fund raising, theater and site design, naming rights and theater use rights. 

SOPA is working to raise a total of $5,000,000 for this project through various means. 

Estes Park is rich with talent, an yet there is no home for the many gifted.  Theater instills a greater sense of community, providing educational opportunities in communication, camaraderie, and an outlet for the talent of all ages.  Theater is a dynamic asset.

This venue will host plays, musicals, summer repertory theater, band, orchestra concerts, theater workshops, small ensemble performances, piano recitals, quartets, jazz festivals, and various social functions to name just a few.

Estes Park will be blessed for years to come with an arena for holding these events.  Our children, the future, would be enriched by a wide host of programming available to them.  The site is adjacent to the Estes Park school campus and thus will create added synergy and opportunities for all.

The arts give us all a greater appreciation of life and enhance our overall quality of life.  This center will also enrich our community by new opportunities, raising the level of the performing arts, and exposure to new experiences.  It will create a new night life, which can benefit local businesses, and will become a family resort destination, resulting in longer visits and providing for exciting activities in Town all year round.

Your pledges are the building blocks - one brick at a time.  A theater for our community is an investment in our future.  The Supporters of the Performing Arts cherish your pledge.  The stage is set and it is curtain time.  Places everyone!


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 Fine Arts Guild Gives $25,000 for New Theater - February 27, 2007

Fine Arts Guild Check Presentation Feb 27 2007

Fine Arts Guild Gifts First Large Donation of $25,000