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 ...
Click here for full text