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May 23, 2005
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| The CTC has raised the money it needs to complete it's new expansion. Now it's trying to raise another $3 million to fund additional programs at the theater. (Image courtesy of the Children's Theatre Company) |
Minneapolis, Minn. — The Children's Theater Company wants to raise an additional $3 million, bringing it's total up to $30 million. Managing Director Teresa Eyring says they are simply staying true to their original dreams for the new space. CTC had originally planned to raise $30 million dollars, but then decided it was too ambitious a goal for its first ever capitol campaign.
"We opted to pursue the more conservative goal of $27 million," she says. "But we also promised ourselves since we had to cut some very important initiatives out of the plan in order to do it for $27 million we always promised ourselves that if we achieved our $27 million goal on schedule that we would go back and launch an encore phase and try to restore those parts of the plan that had been cut."
The $3 million would go toward artistic development, working capital and building the theater's endowment fund.
Eyring says the Children's Theatre will try to create interest in this final fundraising with several naming opportunities. If someone contributes $5 million they can name the mainstage,or they can name a seat for $5,000. But Eyring says the CTC is appreciative of even the smallest donations, and the smallest contributors.
"We received one day in the mail a check for about $12 that came from a young person who attends the theater on a regular basis with a note saying this was part of her savings and she thought it was very important for the children's theater to have this campaign," Eyring says, "She's now on our list of donors."
Eyring says several children have made contributions of whatever they could. The rest of the $27 million raised so far came from the State, private foundations, corporate support, and individual contributions.
Artistic Director Peter Brosius says the building has been an exhausting but satisfying project:
"Stanislowski said 'I think that Art is in the details,' Brosius says. "And I think construction is in the details. I said early on to my incredible staff - without your assistance we'll have a really good building. With your attention to the detail and asking critical questions and making your demands we'll have a great building."
Brosius says now that the exterior is done, construction workers don't have to worry about wet and cold weather. He says the construction is currently right on schedule:
"We are at full speed ahead toward a July 1 finish. We are putting up all the interior walls we're doing the painting we're finishing the duct work and the Hvac systems soon we'll be laying carpets and floors."
But Brosius says in order to start the new theater season on time they must complete the prop room in short order.
"What we've done is we've reconfigured the old prop and costume shop and so you can't work in there right now and you can't quite work in the new space yet," he says. "And so if there's a deadline pressure that we're facing it's to make sure that those workspaces for our fantastic staff are available and ready so that we can have costumes, props scenery all set - so that when we're opening the first shows we're ready."
The Children's Theatre will open its new season on the mainstage in August with Sleeping Beauty. It will celebrate the completion of construction and the opening of the new theater space in late September and early October.
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