Title
Washington Center for the Performing Arts Annual Report
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Not referred to a committee.
City Manager Recommendation:
Receive a briefing on the Washington Center for Performing Arts Annual Report.
Report
Issue:
Whether to receive a briefing on the Washington Center for the Performing Arts Annual Report.
Staff Contact:
Jennica Machado, Economic Development Director, Community Development Department, 360.480.9167
Presenter(s):
Jill Barnes, Executive Director, Washington Center for the Performing Arts
Background and Analysis:
The Washington Center for the Performing Arts (WCPA) began as the Liberty Theater, built in 1924 and later renamed the Olympic. In 1979, the Legislature approved a $1.5 million state matching grant to transform the aging theater into a regional performing arts center. The following year, the City established a Cultural Arts Advisory Committee to develop a plan for the project. In August 1982, the City purchased the theater and authorized the sale of $1.5 million in bonds to match the state grant. With additional support from private donors, the City renovated the building, and it reopened as the Washington Center in 1985.
The nonprofit Washington Center for the Performing Arts was incorporated in 1982 “for charitable purposes, namely, to operate the Washington Center in Olympia.” The City adopted a model commonly used by performing arts centers in comparable communities: the City owns the facility while a dedicated nonprofit manages its operations. The current Operating Agreement (adopted in 2018 and extended in 2022 through 2042) states that this arrangement ensures the Center “will serve as an economic and cultural stimulant for the community and the people of the City of Olympia and the environs, and so that the City may be relieved of the responsibility of operating the Center.” Since its incorporation, the Washington Center has evolved into a downtown gathering place and a regional hub for the performing arts.
An Operating Agreement outlines how the City supports WCPA and requires the organization to give the City an independent audited financial report each year. This report meets the requirement for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. The auditors gave an unmodified ("clean") opinion.
As the City's operator, the WCPA pays the full cost of running a City-owned public building, including utilities, custodial work, IT, insurance, security, specified maintenance and administration. Both the City and the WCPA contribute to ongoing capital investments in the facility.
In 2013, the City completed major upgrades, replacing the roof, exterior, and original mechanical systems. For the 2022 renovation, the WCPA raised more than $5 million to pair with the City’s $3.9 million investment in HVAC improvements and other infrastructure upgrades. The WCPA also performs preventive maintenance and promptly reports building issues to City facilities staff.
Climate Analysis:
There is no climate impact for this item.
Equity Analysis:
The City's budget and financial processes aim to make sure City services reach residents, businesses and the wider Olympia community equitably. The Washington Center helps the City do that by keeping a public facility open and affordable to the whole community.
Tickets last season ranged from free to $149+. The Low-Income Family Ticket (LIFT) program offers free or low-cost tickets to EBT cardholders. There are also $10 Student Rush tickets, and a VetTix partnership gives free tickets to veterans, active-duty service members and their families. Local nonprofit arts groups, which make up most of the performances on the Center's stages, rent at 25-36% below standard rates with other discounted services. The Center also hosts free community programming through Arts Walk, Downtown Trick-or-Treating, free films and community service days such as the recent blood drive, flu shot clinic, and book drive.
The building is ADA accessible and has Braille and tactile signage. It was the first KultureCity certified Sensory Inclusive Venue in Thurston County, and its assistive listening (Auracast) works with patrons' own hearing aids and phones. Programming features artists from a wide range of cultures, including a nationally recognized partnership with Indigenous Performance Productions, and have offered bi-lingual performances and educational events. Accepting this report is not expected to make any existing disparities in the community worse.
Neighborhood/Community Interests (if known):
No neighborhood comments or concerns have been received.
Financial Impact:
The City of Olympia allocated two percent of the 2026 Lodging Tax Awards to the Washington Center for the Performing Arts.
Options:
1. Receive a briefing on the Washington Center for Performing Arts Annual Report.
2. Do not receive the Washington Center for the Performing Arts annual report.
3. Receive the Washington Center for the Performing Arts annual report at a different time.
Attachments:
Financial Statement