Page 40 - Flathead Beacon // 12.16.15

EVENTS 42 MOVIE REVIEWS 43 SIDE DISH 46 PAWS & CLAWS 48 Arts&Entertainment
A New Lease on Life for Bigfork Summer Playhouse
Recently signed 10-year lease with performing arts center keeps tourism magnet on the Bigfork stage
WBY MOLLY PRIDDY
hen it comes to the ethos of the Flathead, long-standing tra- ditions are often at the root
of beloved activities and characteristics. We judge the summer season by how bountiful the cherry and huckleberry crops are, the winter by the snowfall on the ski hills, and the fall by how well the leaves turn and how our local sports
teams play.
For many, the last 56 summers haven’t
been complete without taking in a show at the Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts, when the cast and crew with the Bigfork Summer Playhouse pull out all stops during their repertory schedule.
And with the ink drying on a recent lease agreement with the BCPA Foun- dation, the BSP will continue to take the stage in the Village by the Bay for at least the next decade.
The foundation and the theater group came to an agreement on the lease after a negotiation that, at times, was fraught with emotion and tension. Brach Thom- son, the associate producer, company manager, and music director at BSP, said the original lease renewal proposed increasing the rent price along with a new $1-per-ticket theater enhancement and preservation fee, which, according to the Foundation, is a typical part of ticket pricing for the other BCPA tenants.
Thomson said he takes issue with the fee, because in his eyes it’s a donation, and a donation shouldn’t be mandatory.
“I have to tell my patrons that it costs more money that I then have to give someone else,” Thomson said.
The fee made it into the signed lease, as
Dress rehearsal of “Man of LaMancha” at the Bigfork Summer Playhouse. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
“It’s more of a partnership than a landlord-tenant relationship,” Kuhn said. Adding a $1 fee to ticket prices isn’t unique to the Bigfork theater, Kuhn said, and all of the money raised in both rent and the new fee go back into the pres- ervation and maintenance of the the- ater. Plus, Kuhn said, any improvements made in the theater directly bene t the
Playhouse.
The Foundation estimated that the
fee would bring in up to $27,000 annu- ally, Kuhn said, with Playhouse ticket sales contributing up to $20,000 as the primary user at the facility.
“We didn’t invent this fee,” Kuhn said. “This is a fairly common vehicle now to raise money for performing arts theaters.”
According to the Foundation, roughly 30,000 theatergoers provide an eco- nomic base in Bigfork by visiting restau- rants and retail businesses on their trips to the theater.
In a statement about the lease, the Foundation acknowledged the nature of the lease negotiations, but said the sym- biotic relationship between the theater company and the center was never in doubt.
“News that the BSP lease was up for renewal resulted in a lot of misinforma- tion circulating in the community, which grew into rumors that the BCPAF was trying to force the BSP out of business by doubling the rent, limiting performances to just a few a week and that the BCPA was not supportive of the BSP, which was false information,” the Foundation wrote.
well as a baseline cost of $35,000 or 8 per- cent of the gross ticket sales, whichever is more, Thomson said.
“It still looks out for us if it’s not a good year, and they stand to make out well if they can help us have a better year,” he said.
Thomson acknowledged that the nego- tiation process was “heated” from his perspective, and wanted the public to know that despite the process, the show will go on in the summer of 2016.
“Folks can rest assured that it’s hap- pening,” Thomson said. “We opened up our gift certi cate sales for the holidays.”
Walter Kuhn, a member of the BCPA Foundation, said the summer theater is an integral piece of Bigfork’s iden- tity. Neither the theater nor the theater company would be where they are today without the other, Kuhn said, making the relationship between the two entities more layered than a traditional rental agreement.
“WE DIDN’T INVENT THIS FEE. THIS IS A
FAIRLY COMMON VEHICLE NOW TO RAISE
MONEY FOR PERFORMING ARTS THEATERS.” Thomson’s parents, Jude and Don
- WALTER KUHN
Thomson, took over the Summer Play- house in 1968, after it was created in 1960. In 1984, the BCPA Foundation formed to
Historic Downtown Kalispell
Open 7 Days a Week
Holiday Hours:
Friday & Saturday 9am - 7pm Sunday 10am - 6pm• Mon - Wed 9am - 7pm Christmas Eve 9am - 3pm
WINTER CLEARANCE
%
20 OFF
ALL SEASONAL WINTER ITEMS*
Winter boots, hats, coats, annel shirts, wool shirts.
*Excludes Pendleton Blankets and any other items carried year around.
40
DECEMBER 16, 2015 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM