Page 11 - the NOISE April 2015

SPAC LIGHTENS UP
TO OUTSIDERS
STORY BY CINDY COLE
Members of the community gathered at the Sedona Performing Arts Center on February to discuss how policies for the facility might be changed to allow it to be more widely and frequently utilized. The meeting was billed as a “Community Involvement Forum” intended to open a dialog that will lead to ideas, support, and involvement from multiple facets of the community.
The meeting was facilitated by Dave Lykins, Superintendent of the Sedona Oak Creek Uni- fied School District and Conductor Russell Fox. Mr. Lykins expressed his gratitude for everyone in attendance. He pointed out that the Center is currently being used to meet the needs of the Sedona Red Rock High School but that its larger mission to serve Sedona and surrounding communities as a true performing arts center has yet to be fulfilled. He noted the Center is currently only being used about 30% of the time it is available. This meeting was intended to garner input from the community on how that usage could be improved. He then gave the floor to Mr. Fox.
In order to make a serious effort at increasing the community use and access to the Center, Mr. Fox brought up several shortcomings that need to be addressed. The main issues with in- creasing community use of the Center, he explained, are scheduling, acoustic and stage rigging deficiencies, the current fee structure and the “closed campus” policy currently in place at the high school. This policy places limitations on when organizers and performers are given access to the facility for setting up and prohibits alcohol sales during events.
Currently, scheduling for the Center is administered by school district staff and is not re- leased to the public until after the beginning of the school year. Many desirable acts and per- formers would require booking as much as a year or more in advance.
When the Center was built, several items necessary to a full-fledged performing arts center were neglected or omitted in the construction phase. The venue lacks an acoustic shell, ceiling- mounted acoustic reflectors, a functional pit and basic rigging, lighting and curtain structures. Mr. Fox demonstrated the acoustic deficiencies of the venue by lowering his microphone after which his voice could barely be heard.
The current fee structure in place for the Center was considered by some who attended as cost-prohibitive for many potential artists, performers and events; as of this writing, published rates range from $100-800 for one-day use for nonprofits, to $2800 a day for commercial one- day use, not including custodial or technical fees. As other venues, particularly outdoors, are closed to music due to Sedona’s restrictive noise ordinance, many local artists are in search of new places to perform but the Center is not on the list due to excessive rental costs.
Finally, the “closed campus” policy in place at RRHS prohibits performers from entering the facility before 3:30PM on school days to begin loading gear and setting up. This creates difficul- ties for events scheduled during evening hours. Access for rehearsals is also extremely limited. Prohibitions on alcohol sales also limits the revenue generation of facility users.
Suggestions ranging from hiring professional staff to manage the Center to increasing Cham- ber of Commerce involvement in promoting the venue’s availability were proposed. Concerns were also raised that Sedona’s youth need greater access to the facility for musical and theater performance. Community and youth theater programs were suggested as well as musical and other performance art programs.
This meeting was characterized as “an opening for further examination of ways use of the Center can be improved and developed.” The dialog has been opened, suggestions were made and heard, and further discussion will likely take place in the near future.
| Cindy Cole keeps herself updated. cindy@thenoise.us
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APRIL 2015 • 11