Part I: Dream for Estes Park — 2008 
Materializing the Estes Park Performing Arts Center

 By Janice Mason

Trail Gazette Editor’s note: This is Part I of a series about the proposed Estes Park Performing Arts Center. Thanks to the enthusiastic members of the performing arts community, the vision has begun to take shape, and 2008 is the year they hope to raise the final funds necessary to make the Estes Park Performing Arts Center a reality.

For the local, talented singers, actors, dancers and orchestral musicians in Estes Park, there is only one thing they hope to materialize in 2008. A performing arts center would make all these fine community members dreams come true. And for those who enjoy the 185-plus annual music and theatrical programs, the new Performing Arts Center will solidify Estes Park as a cultural arts destination.

Since this gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park has no formal snow skiing, the year-round arts programming has become a cultural staple. Visitors arrive from all over the world to vacation in Estes Park. While here, they may catch a theater production, the Estes Park Music Festival or another performing arts event. While attending these events, they must wonder why the programs are scheduled all over town in different venues.

Chris Wood, chairman for the proposed Estes Park Performing Arts Center, has been leading the charge to raise money for the center. Members of the Supporters of the Performing Arts, Inc. (SOPA) have raised one million dollars to date and feel optimistic that the center will be built. They have no doubts in regards to the benefits the center will have on Estes Park.

“For me, the Performing Arts Center is a gift to the community for a multitude of reasons,” said Wood. “I think it opens up the door — one — for all our performing arts organizations to come together and work together as a team, which I think is very, very important to help solidify the arts in our community.

“Secondly, of course, I think it provides an opportunity for a year-round theater to be happening, including our summer season when we have some three and a half million visitors coming through the town and looking for something to do at night. Not only does it give them something to do, but we get to build, if you will, a repertory theater company or some sort of theater company, that’s going to bring a wonderful vitality to our community in the summer season.”

Wood suggested that the Performing Arts Center could encourage visits from CSU, CU and UNC students, bringing a much-needed youthfulness to area. Visiting performers also add quality to the arts offerings in Estes Park.

“For ourselves, to be more culturally rich with performing arts groups coming up from the Front Range…,” Wood mused… “I was just at Union College Civic Center this past Sunday for a ‘Messiah’ sing-along with the Greeley Chorale — what a wonderful group that was. I was thinking how wonderful it would be if we could bring groups like that into our Estes Park community.”

For years, the performing arts community has rented space from various locations around town to house their programs and theater productions. The Estes Park Music Festival, the Fine Arts Guild of the Rockies and the Oratorio Society’s chorus and orchestra are only three of the many groups who use the high school theater, the YMCA facilities, the Stanley Hotel, churches — anywhere they can schedule their performances. Aside from the limited space and logistical restrictions in these facilities, the performing arts community continues to soldier on every year. The many scheduled performances add to the economic viability of the tourism base in Estes Park.

“You look at the economic effect that has with people coming up spending the day, having dinner out, maybe shopping and spending the night, maybe a couple nights — I think that would help grow our off-season for the Estes Park community and open many, many doors that perhaps we don’t even see yet,” said Wood. “I think as we grow to become a competitive mountain town, the Performing Arts Center is one thing that Estes Park does not have that other mountain resort towns have, like Vail, Aspen, Steamboat and what not. So, I think it’s a wise move forward as you think of Estes Park growing and moving with the demand and what people are wanting… a culturally rich experience, not only for the national park visitors, but also to become culturally rich in their experience when they travel to the Rocky Mountains. I think it’s very, very important as we grow.”

The arts not only contributes to the economy of Estes Park, but the minds of its inhabitants. The education component is also important to Wood.

“I think theater teaches a wonderful aspect of communication,” he said. “It is so key to everyone’s education as they grow up and learn to work together as a team, and that’s something that you can’t even measure. I think it’s so very important to our schools and our education system to have a working, active theater where people have the opportunity to work together towards a common goal and put on a production and learn how to communicate — not only with the individuals in the audience, but with individuals on stage.”

The Supporters of the Performing Arts, Inc (SOPA) is a non-profit group that is leading the effort and working in conjunction with the Town of Estes Park and other local non-profit agencies to build a state of the art performing arts venue in Estes Park at the Stanley Park fairgrounds. For more information or to make a donation, visit www.estesparktheater.com.