“This has been an issue since I've been on the council,” Mayor Craig Morgan said. “It's great to see something like this come to fruition. I can't think of a better organization that we’ve done an agreement with. [Penfold’s] reputation precedes them.”
What’s happening?
Round Rock City Council unanimously approved a tri-party agreement Feb. 23 between the city, Penfold Theater Company and Danly Properties, setting up the performing arts group in a new space located in the Rock Creek Plaza.
The tri-party agreement includes a $326,330 grant from the city, intended to be used for the first 18 months of rent. Additional terms stipulate the company will secure or provide 180 days of performing arts at the facility per year.
“These agreements are in line with the city's objective to nurture creative enterprises and expand entertainment choices for our residents—a mission that Penfold has consistently supported through the years,” Morgan said in a news release. “I believe this project is the right fit for Round Rock.”
City funding for the project comes from hotel occupancy tax funds.
The director of business development for Danly Properties, Adam Lewis, told Community Impact he believes communities often rally around the arts, bolstering a sense of culture.
“When cities grow, a lot of that stuff starts to be really hard to do and maintain [by the city] ... As cities grow, you see culture die,” Lewis said. “Fostering Penfold is really important, in my opinion, and having a place where people can go see shows and experience locally sourced art is critical.”
Lewis went on to explain that this agreement could provide a valuable blueprint for other communities going forward. City staff got creative in their efforts to secure a performing arts facility for Round Rock.
“I feel like the way this ended up playing out creates a roadmap for communities to foster the culture and the arts in a way that [the city] doesn’t have to do it into perpetuity,” Lewis said. “There are big box retail spaces all around the country that are challenging for developers and landlords to repurpose. There are communities everywhere pressuring their cities to spend [money] on these expensive facilities ... if this works, it’s a way to foster the arts in communities so that they don't have to perpetually be on the taxpayers dime.”
More details
Penfold is expected to start moving into the building beginning in September, anticipating a first performance by October, according to a news release.
Producing Artistic Director Ryan Crowder hopes that the new facility will “ignite a hunger” within the community for regularly engaging with the theater.
“This is a dream come true for us. We actually get to scale up our programs, build deeper relationships in the community and offer affordable performance space for other arts organizations who, like us, have struggled to find space to serve our residents,” Crowder told council members.
The new space will not only house the professional theater company’s performances, but other local groups as well. Additionally, Penfold will host workshops, internships, camps and other educational opportunities for the community.
A local children’s theater owner, Chantel Getz, said she would love to have more access to theaters locally, rather than only in downtown Austin. She is excited to see more opportunities to bring children into the realm of performing arts.
“[Performing arts] just opens up a whole new world of imagination for kids. It's so wonderful to read books or read stories, but this is a whole new form of diving into reading and literature,” Getz explained. “Theater can reach kids in a way that a lot of other things can't.”
A founding member of the Round Rock ISD Council of the Arts, Penfold Theater company works closely with the school district and youth population.
Not only will Penfold bolster all ages of local engagement with the theater, but the new facility will provide local actors a closer place to find work. The company also recently began commissioning new plays by local writers, furthering support for local artists, Crowder said.
Performing throughout Central Texas for roughly 20 years, actress and Round Rock resident Mindy Keenan said a performing arts center in the city would allow local performers a chance to stay closer to home and avoid Austin traffic.
“This way we don't have to go into this other city in order to do the thing that we are passionate about,” Keenan said.
Crowder said Penfold works to “change the mindset” that to see good theater, or for artists to support themselves, it requires going somewhere else. He emphasized the company's commitment to nurturing local talent and investing in artists within the community
“Part of that is creating opportunities where people can live here and get paid and practice their art form and then some of it is showing people that our local talent is amazing,” Crowder said.
