“It’s been a terrific and rewarding experience to introduce this campaign to the community,” said VTA’s President and CEO Ken Neufeld at a private donors’ reception at the Schuster Center before the opening performance of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” on Tuesday. The musical kicks off the VTA’s 2014-15 Broadway series.
“We’ve been raising money for two years but we really took a year before that to develop all the background research,” Neufeld told the Dayton Daily News on Wednesday. “We did a complete inventory of all our buildings and really figured out the lifespan of everything we own. We figured out ultimately that we would need a $30M endowment in the next five years.”
Many people in Dayton still regard the 11-year-old Schuster Center as new. “It’s in great shape right now,” Neufeld said, “but in five to 10 years we’ll have to replace the ceiling and upgrade the boilers.
“The technology is changing so fast. Stage lighting is moving to LED from incandescent. We need to be looking toward replacing our stage lighting to LED light in the next five years. Those are small things that add up.”
Accounting for the $22M in the campaign funds are an existing $9M endowment; an additional $10M in new dollars, including $825,000 from the state of Ohio; and interest on the endowment investment, Neufeld said Wednesday. “People are appreciating that we’re planning for the future.”
Bob and Donna Duplain support The Next Stage in part because the campaign will benefit future generations. The other two reasons are because it provides entertainment and education, and it’s financially well run, Bob Duplain said.
“(VTA) is one big positive,” said Bob Duplain during Tuesday’s reception. “It’s been the glue in downtown Dayton.”
All of VTA’s full-time volunteers, including the Duplains, already have donated to the campaign. “We’re retired and wanted to give back to the community,” Duplain said.
The Duplains said they appreciate the variety of VTA’s performances and programs. Their favorites include the Broadway series — “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” runs through Sunday, Oct. 26, and upcoming shows include “Smokey Joe’s Cafe Featuring The Coasters” and “Flashdance.”
The Duplains also are partial to the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra’s Rockin’ Orchestra Series, which this season includes Music of Elton John, Symphonic Springsteen, Rubber Soul/Revolver (which will feature music from the Beatles’ sixth and seventh albums) and a performance by the Indigo Girls.
“There’s a variety of shows that attract lots of people,” Donna Duplain said.
In addition to volunteers, the entire VTA staff and all its board members already have supported The Next Stage campaign. “I love the vision of where the VTA is going, and I want to support it any way I can,” said VTA event and sales manager Lisa Snapp, who attended the reception with her husband, Don.
“We’ve received strong support,” said Neil Freund, chairman of the board for VTA, during Tuesday’s event.
“I am very, very fortunate to have an extraordinary group to support,” said Frank J. Perez, who chairs the campaign’s steering committee. “The arts are a driver for economic development,” he told Tuesday’s guests.
Added Neufeld Wednesday, “The economic impact of what we do in our facilities is about $40M to $45M a year. It fuels parking, restaurants, trucking companies. There’s all sorts of things happening.”
New carpet in the Schuster, updated stage lighting controls in the Schuster and the Loft Theatre, a new sidewalk in front of the Victoria Theatre and upgrades to the Victoria’s brass doors are some of the first projects already funded by The Next Stage.
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