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FH Theater looking ahead to new opportunities for growth

Posted 3/28/17

Now well in to its 30thseason, Fountain Hills Theater is experiencing a sea change.

The theater this year took ownership of the buildings it has occupied since 1995, leasing the property from the …

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FH Theater looking ahead to new opportunities for growth

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Now well in to its 30thseason, Fountain Hills Theater is experiencing a sea change.

The theater this year took ownership of the buildings it has occupied since 1995, leasing the property from the Town of Fountain Hills for $1 per year.

Val Stasik, the theater’s executive director since its inception, retired. A new director, Suzu Henderson, is now working in that post.

The board of directors is undergoing a change as well. Through a grant from the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Foundation, board members are taking “governance training” to help them become more professional, efficient and effective. A consultant is working with the board to improve its functionality.

“We will be operating under best practices methods to improve operations,” Henderson said.

The Town put the property up for sale last year. Through special agreements between the town and the theater, the theater was able to take ownership of the facility.

As property owners, the theater group now has more flexibility in what it can do with the buildings, but it also has more responsibility.

When the Town owned the buildings, it took care of the outside, while the theater was responsible for inside maintenance and repairs. The theater now takes on the full complement of its operations.

The property includes two buildings which are among the oldest in the community. The library occupied one of the buildings until 1995, when the theater was offered the opportunity to lease it for $1 per year. The second building was used as the Community Center. In 2003, the center was moved to its current location on La Montana Drive. The empty building was then offered to the theater as another space for performances.

Through the years, the small staff at the theater has worked wonders.

The buildings have a number of challenges, many of which have been overcome by creative work by Artistic Director Peter J. Hill and Youth Director Ross Collins. They and other staffers have figured out ways to best utilize space (or lack thereof), odd design features and trials that come up unexpectedly.

“We often have live music accompanying our musicals,” Hill said. “The orchestra pit is in my office for Mainstage productions. Ross’ office is used as the orchestra pit for youth shows.”

And the offices also serve as dressing rooms, storage space and work rooms.

But solutions for space utilization are relatively cosmetic. There are real items to repair or replace completely. The roof is old. The parking lot needs repaving.

“And you can’t just jack up the ticket prices,” Henderson said. “Ticket sales don’t begin to cover operations costs.”

The theater over the years has relied on fundraising, grants and subsidies. But things like the Great Recession and its related consequences have taken their toll. The grants available in years past have declined, and there are more organizations vying for the same piece of the pie.

Fountain Hills is in an unusual situation with its demographic makeup.

“When we apply for grants or other funding for the arts, Fountain Hills does not seem to have a lot of diversity or underprivileged people to serve,” Henderson said. “It definitely has an effect on what we are able to get in the way of money, even though we really are a melting pot, and there are lots of people in need. It just doesn’t appear that way on paper.”

A Fountain Hills couple has recognized the need and surprised theater patrons with a $30,000 donation at the recent Broadway in the Hills fundraiser. Fred and Barb Hansen, who have long supported the theater, decided to offer the “lead gift” in the theater’s campaign to increase its operations funding.

The goal is to raise a total of $100,000 by June 30, the end of the theater’s fiscal year.

“That’s really not such a lofty goal,” Henderson said. “But we have work to do. We need to raise almost $40,000 by the end of this fiscal year.”

That total will enable the theater to “get a few things done and have some money in reserve,” said Paul Downing, board treasurer.

Downing said the money used for operations will include some restructuring, including redoing the accounting system. Special projects could be included in the plans, but the goal at this time is to have enough money to have a buffer.

“We have a larger operating budget now that we own the buildings,” Downing said. “We now have the responsibility to take care of the outside and the inside.

Downing said a building fund campaign will be established.

“We have a lot of things we are wishing for,” he said. “It would be my fond hope that we could have a new lobby. We need better storage for props, costumes and the like.”

Keira Allen, the theater’s director of accounting, said the theater is now prepared to have a “legacy” program in which people can include the theater in their wills.

A three-day class offered by the Arizona Giving Foundation also has provided education for the theater to help interested persons participate in planned giving.

The theater’s mission statement, “Fountain Hills Theater, Inc., is a non-profit, community organization dedicated to providing a variety of quality theatrical and educational experiences while contributing to overall cultural development,” guides the theater in all its activities.

Allen remarked that ensuring the longevity of the theater has an impact on the whole community.

“People come here and have dinner or lunch before a production,” she said. “They spend money in our town. It adds value to the whole community.”

Henderson said she worries about the community without the theater.

“If we look to the future and determine it is bleak and scary, we have a serious problem,” she said. “But we are committed to keeping the theater going, and going strong.”

In a statement she read at the Broadway in the Hills event, Barb Hansen said, “This theater has given us such joy over the years, as it has for many of you in this room tonight. There are new challenges now that we own the building. We are at a crossroads. We want to ensure others can continue their dreams and at the same time enrich our lives.”