IMPACT 100 Pensacola Bay Area | Santa Rosa Community Theatre, INC.

04 Oct Santa Rosa Community Theatre, INC.

Posted at 15:20h in 2022, Arts, Culture & History, Nonprofits by Jae Vogei

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SANTA ROSA COMMUNITY THEATRE, INC.

PROVIDE A STATE-OF-THE-ART THEATRE FOR SANTA ROSA COUNTY

Grant Year: 2022 | Focus Area: Arts, Culture and History | Grant Amount: $103,820 | Grant Status: Complete

Santa Rosa Community Theatre (SRCT) is a nonprofit performing arts organization whose mission is to enrich, entertain, and educate residents and visitors in Santa Rosa and Escambia Counties by providing opportunities to participate in and experience the joy of live theatre to all individuals, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, or background. The organization’s passion is to inspire the community to embrace the performing arts and to expand involvement in artistic and cultural activities. The historic Imogene Theatre in Milton was home to this area's first live theatre, the Imogene Little Theatre (ILT). In 2006, the Imogene Little Theatre severed ties with the Santa Rosa Historical Society and the historic Imogene Theatre and formed its own nonprofit organization, Panhandle Community Theatre (PCT). For five years, PCT was without a permanent venue and partnered with various community organizations and performed at venues throughout the county. In 2011, PCT moved into a permanent venue in Pace where they resided for ten years until the challenges from the pandemic reduced their number of productions; this combined with a doubling of the cost of their rent forced the nonprofit to relocate. In May 2021, they moved to their current location in Milton and changed their name to Santa Rosa Community Theatre.

OVERVIEW OF THE PROPOSED PROJECT

Santa Rosa Community Theatre’s relatively small theatre group of talented and dedicated actors, technicians, and volunteers have supported the theatre and been its lifeblood since its inception. Together, they have transformed a vacant space into a performing arts theatre and brought it up to code, erecting walls, installing lighting, building risers and much more. They have demonstrated a commitment to the high standards of much larger performing theatre companies through their productions. In 2022, SRCT successfully increased their annual number of performances from six to eight. SRCT needs a physical place to match its high standards and commitment to artistic excellence. The IMPACT 100 grant funds will be used to update the antiquated theatre and transform it into a state-of-the-art performing arts center by replacing outdated equipment with modern, state-of-the-art equipment that meets current theatre standards. This includes a new lighting system, new sound system, adjustable/portable stage, curtains and rigging system, and an exterior LED lighted sign.

EXPECTED IMPACT ON THE COMMUNITY

The fact that Santa Rosa's population continues to grow and outpace surrounding counties underscores the need for a state-of-the-art community theatre in Santa Rosa County. The new lighting system will give the community and visitors the best experience possible when attending a cultural event. Additionally, the accompanying training package can be used in education classes. A new sound system will ensure patrons don't miss a word of dialogue or sound effects. The adjustable/portable stage will give the audience experience in the basic types of theatre staging and offer the flexibility to perform outside the space. Curtains will provide the optimal acoustical and cultural experience. An exterior LED lighted sign will continuously advertise the venue and events 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Santa Rosa County Community Theatre remains Santa Rosa County's only live theatre and believes the patrons and volunteers deserve a comfortable theatre complete with state-of-the-art equipment capable of producing a broad spectrum of theatrical productions for this high-growth area.