Clarification: When it comes to figuring out the many ins and outs of funding nonprofit arts projects, it’s easy to confuse certain financial streams. The Very Little Theatre’s building renovation project — especially because it is a multi-phase endeavor with varying sources of support — is one of those. The story below has been tweaked to include the total cost, $1.7 million, of the entire project and to amend the amount raised so far to $750,000, reflecting an additional gift from a set of major donors.
By Randi Bjornstad
Without a doubt, 2020’s continuing coronavirus pandemic has wrought havoc in arts communities everywhere, but The Very Little Theatre has managed to find a sliver of silver lining in the devastation that has characterized this year.
For years, The VLT has been working quietly to raise money for a major capital campaign to renovate the 1950s structure at 2350 Hilyard St. in Eugene that has housed the company for more than half of its 91 years.
Like many arts venues, The VLT had to shut down its season, right before Little Women the Musical was scheduled to open in March. Cat Lady in the Stage Left theater area and The Diary of Anne Frank and Ladies of the Camellias on the main stage also fell victim to the closure.
But the theater’s board of directors and capital campaign committee soldiered on, and they now have some good “the show must go on, eventually” news to report.
Tere Tronson, who has acted on The VLT’s stage for the past decade and also serves on the committee pursuing the renovation project, said the group has enough money in hand or in pledges to carry out the first two portions of a multi-phase project.
“I have been a fan of the Very Little Theatre for a long time,” Tronson said. “I first went into the theater as an audience member, and I was so impressed. It’s a sweet theater with pictures of its long history on the walls. It’s a true community theater that offers high quality productions, but it also takes care to get new people involved and give them opportunities to participate and learn new skills.”
Herb Merker and Marcy Hammock are longtime supporters of The Very Little Theatre and major donors to the construction project; photo by Rich Scheeland
Between audience appreciation and donor support, the theater has raised $750,000 of the estimated $1.2 million cost to remodel the “house,” the portion of the theater where patrons gather to watch shows, as well as reconfigure the stage area.
The heroes of those parts of the project are a couple named Herb Merker and Marcy Hammock, who have contributed $200,000 toward the project.
Future phases, subject to more fundraising, will include enlarging the shop area, where sets are created, followed by adding a large storage area on the back of the building to accommodate the theater’s ever-growing collection of costumes and props. The projected cost of those improvements is about $500,000, bringing the total cost of the renovation to $1.7 million, VLT spokesman Scott Barkhurst said.
Because the theater will not be open for shows well into 2021, it’s the perfect time to be able to carry out the changes to the performance hall and the stage area, Tronson said.
“The original stage from the ’50s was intended to be temporary, and it never really got out of the temporary stage, so there are some structural and safety issues that really need to be addressed, ” she said. “The ‘house’ also will change so seating will be much better for the audience, with a steeper rake so people can see better and seats that are wider and more comfortable and have more leg room.”
The more spacious seats mean a temporary reduction in the total number of seats, from 220 now to just under 200. But the revamped theater also will offer better accommodations for people with mobility issues, including an entire row of seats that can be converted to accommodate wheelchairs, Tronson said.
Obviously, curtailing most of the 2020 season has been a financial burden in terms of lost ticket revenue, “but we are doing okay because we are a very frugal organization and because we have some reserves,” she said. “So we are fortunate, in a way, that all of these circumstances have come together the way they have.”
At the same time, The Very Little Theatre continues its fundraising activities with an eye to financing later phases of its renovation project, including offering “naming opportunities” for substantial donations to the cause.
For example, $1,500 will give the donor a name plaque on an individual seat to honor that contribution. A$50,000 donation will earn the right to name one of the seven arches that span the audience area, while a $100,000 gift will confer the donor’s name to The VLT’s lobby. Other naming opportunities include $200,000 to endow the stage, $250,000 for the auditorium, and $350,000 to sponsor the scene shop.
But Tronson emphasizes that while large donations are welcome, the theater appreciates gifts of all sizes.
“We always welcome gifts of any size,” she said. “Much of what we have raised to fund this project has come from very small gifts from people who just love this theater and what it means to the community.”
Familiar to thousands of theatergoers over the past nearly 70 years, the cozy “house” at The Very LIttle Theatre (above) will undergo a substantial refurbishment in the first phase of the organization’s renovation project; photo courtesy of The VLT.
