topfer theatre groundbreaking questions

TOPFER THEATRE GROUNDBREAKING
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
ABOUT THE THEATRE
What is this initiative in a nutshell?
Now in its 78 years as Austin’s Theatre, ZACH will now have a facility that is of
commensurate quality to the dynamic professional productions on its stage. ZACH is
designing a comprehensive campus to create productions of the highest artistic
quality that will include three intimate performance venues. Additionally the campus
includes educational classrooms, rehearsal studios, production facilities and
administrative offices to provide Central Texans and visitors to our region with
nationally recognized theatre experiences that ignite the imagination, lift the spirit
and engage our community. There’s nothing like it in Central Texas.
Why does ZACH need this theatre?
1. Current limitations: ZACH has been an Austin institution for 78 years. ZACH’s
Kleberg Theatre, built in 1972, was designed to be a black box community theatre. In
this facility there is virtually no wing space, no traps under the stage, no fly tower,
cramped outmoded actor dressing rooms, minimal patron amenities and seating
limited to 230 audience members. The Kleberg has served the organization well for
almost 40 years, but it does not meet the needs of a professional theatre creating
work in the 21st century. ZACH’s audience has grown to current capacity with
subscriptions and single ticket sales shattering previous records. Larger audience
capacity is essential for the ongoing vitality and support required for the organization.
The Kleberg will remain a valuable asset for our pre-professional students in ZACH’s
Education shows and for the incubation of new plays and musicals.
2. Expanded opportunities on stage: The Topfer Theatre will greatly expand what
ZACH is able to create onstage for Central Texas residents and visitors. The
dimensions of ZACH’s Karen Kuykendall Stage is commensurate with other regional
and Broadway theatres with a fly house for flying in sets from above, the ability to
track large scenic elements in from the 20-foot wings on each side of the stage, a
fully trapped stage floor (which allows on-stage actors and scenic pieces to either
disappear below the stage or rise up from under the stage), and the latest technology
in lighting, video and sound.
Variable acoustics will create a space that is dynamic and crisp for spoken-word
plays, amplified musicals, acoustic musical concerts and speakers and symposiums.
Actor Dressing Rooms are greatly expanded to allow for a cast size of up to 40
actors. Currently, the load in of a new show’s scenery, lights and sound takes a week
in ZACH’s existing facility and that will be shortened to just two days in the Topfer.
The new theatre will allow ZACH to share productions with colleagues at regional
theatres like Steppenwolf, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Mark Taper Forum and many
others. It will also allow ZACH created shows featuring the work of Austin designers,
craftspeople and actors to transfer with the production to regional theatres in other
cities. ZACH will now be a launching pad for Broadway-bound musicals and plays,
as ZACH did recently with Anna Deavere Smith’s Let Me Down Easy.
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The increased audience capacity will also allow ZACH to present music offerings and
concerts by some of Broadway’s biggest stars and provide performance
opportunities for local companies like Conspirare and Austin Chamber Music Center,
among others.
3. Enhanced patron experience: ZACH’s new Topfer will become the gathering spot
on Lady Bird Lake with its spacious lobby and full bars, stellar two-story views of the
downtown skyline, steeply raked seating risers creating excellent uninterrupted
sightlines, comfortable modern seating, and a glorious outdoor plaza that can
accommodate 450 people seated. The patron experience will increase ten-fold while
maintaining the intimacy and creativity that Austinites have identified as ZACH’s
hallmark. Austin Architects Andersson Wise, who are being celebrated for the
exceptional public spaces they have created in the W Hotel and Austin City Limits
downtown, are bringing that same sensibility in to play for ZACH.
4. More space for education: The popularity of ZACH’s educational programs continues
to grow and newly dedicated space in the Binning-Dickson Education Center will serve
the overwhelming popularity of our youth classes, camps and performances.
Why does Austin need this theatre?
Great cities deserve a great theatre. Just as Dallas has Dallas Theatre Center, and
Houston has the Alley Theatre, Austin has ZACH Theatre. The Long Center
addressed the need of our other major cultural organizations -- Austin Lyric Opera,
Ballet Austin and the Austin Symphony -- to have a first-rate performance venue.
Now, the Topfer Theatre completes that work by providing a first-class home for
Austin’s Theatre that will serve as a hub for Central Texas’ vital cultural community.
All other large theatres in Austin are presenting organizations hosting touring shows
created elsewhere. At ZACH we produce all of our shows in Austin employing over
300 Austin actors, musicians, designers and artists annually. Under the artistic
direction of Dave Steakley for two decades, ZACH purposefully makes art that creates
the opportunity for meaningful conversations on topics that have resonance in our
community. And, as the region continues to grow in both population and stature, so do
the expectations of ZACH and its facilities. The Topfer Theatre is the place where our
diverse, energized community will gather for a collective imaginative journey.
What does this theatre provide that the other Central Texas theatres don’t?
One of the catalysts for building this new theatre was the recognition that Austin
lacks a mid-sized theatre. Our community has theatres that seat more than 1,000
and theatres that seat less than 250. The UT campus has a few theatres that fit the
bill, but they are in such high demand for UT-produced performances that they are
unavailable to the community. The 420-seat Topfer Theatre is precisely what ZACH
needs and what the performing arts community has said it needs. It doubles our
capacity while allowing us to retain the intimacy and soul of a ZACH production. We
anticipate that other organizations needing a mid-sized performance space will also
use the Topfer Theatre when ZACH productions are not on stage.
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ZACH will also be one of the few theatre centers in the nation to have a proscenium
stage, a thrust stage and an arena stage on its campus, creating an extraordinary
educational opportunity for aspiring directors, choreographers, designers and actors
to get training and experience in three diverse settings. This will be an invaluable tool
for all Central Texas universities and high school arts magnet programs.
How does this theatre differ from the theatres already on site?
The Kleberg Theatre was built nearly four decades ago without any of the features or
capabilities necessary to create modern theatrical experiences for sophisticated
audiences. The new Topfer Theatre and Karen Kuykendall Stage will change all that:
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The Topfer Theatre, at more than 26,000 square feet, will double capacity to 420
comfortable seats while retaining an intimate theatre-going experience.
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The Karen Kuykendall Stage will be a proscenium theatre with a 44-foot-wide
opening and an 80-foot-wide deck and stage house — three and a half times as
large as ZACH’s current Mainstage. It will feature a fly tower, 20-foot wings, a
fully trapped stage, an orchestra pit when desired, the latest sound, video and
lighting technology, and an expansive backstage area complete with larger
dressing rooms accommodating up to 40 actors.
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The Topfer Theatre will be connected to the other stages on the campus with an
8,600-square-foot open-air plaza available for opening night parties and other
functions, including rental opportunities for community and private events.
Combined with a larger, grand lobby, this space will accommodate 450 seated
guests and 600 standing.
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Audience members will find themselves “on Austin’s stage” when they enter the
Topfer Theatre through two extensive two-story glass panels representing a
stage curtain and a large laser-cut ZACH sign that creates a star field of light.
Jutting out from the second story is a Juliet balcony, a symbol of the theatre’s
greatest love story Romeo & Juliet. Upon entering the spacious lobby, patrons
may enjoy a variety of selections from a full-service bar on two stories
overlooking Lady Bird Lake, offering magnificent views of downtown Austin.
Inside the theatre the audience will assemble in a stadium seating arrangement
with excellent sightlines, gently arched around the curved Kuykendall Stage.
How does this theatre increase ZACH’s capacity?
We’re doubling ZACH’s audience capacity while retaining our intimate theatre
experience. The Topfer Theatre will seat 420 patrons. The Kleberg theatre seats 230
and the Whisenhunt Theatre seats 130. Currently, our shows must run longer to
ensure everyone has an opportunity to see them and to recoup a portion of the costs
of production (60 percent of ZACH’s budget comes from ticket sales and 40 percent
from contributed income). With a larger audience capacity, more patrons will
experience the shows each performance, which allows shorter runs reducing running
costs. This frees up ZACH’s schedule to present more music and touring theatre
works on our stages, and to rent the facility to Austin music and dance companies
looking for performance space.
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What does this theatre mean for ZACH staff and actors?
Our family of artists — more than 300 actors, designers, musicians, playwrights,
directors, choreographers, craftspeople and technicians employed by ZACH
annually — tell us time and again that ZACH is their artistic home. They deserve a
professional work environment that supports their creativity and does not limit their
individual and collective creative exploration due to an inadequate facility.
The new Topfer Theatre, with all of its modern on-stage and backstage amenities
and tools, will allow us to take new works originated at ZACH and share them with
other regional theatres across the country. It also gives us far more freedom to select
plays and musicals that have simply not been possible to perform in the Kleberg or
Whisenhunt theatres. Past works like Porgy and Bess, which required renting an
outside facility, will now be produced at ZACH. The larger seating capacity will help
us increase artist salaries and designer fees, and reinvest our resources in the
human creative capital that makes ZACH such a special place, and Austin an
extraordinary place to live.
The theatre becomes a symbol of our community’s investment in ZACH’s mission. It
says that the conversation that ZACH initiates in our city and the significant art that is
being created here are meaningful to our citizens. It also says we value Austin artists
who create unique work that inspires us and we want to keep them gainfully employed
in our city.
For 20 years ZACH staff members past and present have worked on making this
theatre a reality. It’s completion represents the attainment of a long-held dream to
create the place where our city gathers for a collective imaginative journey.
Is ZACH making any other changes/improvements on the campus?
Yes. While the majority of the new campus is focused on the new Topfer Theatre,
ZACH recently purchased the metal-framed warehouse where it has been presenting
some performances over the past four years.
The ZACH Production and Creativity Center (ZPACC) received the first-phase of a
renovation 20 months ago. It houses the Bill & Bettye Nowlin Rehearsal Studio that
is the same size as the forthcoming Karen Kuykendall Stage in the Topfer Theatre.
The Nowlin accommodates rehearsals, camps, classes, auditions, and ZACH
events, and is rented by the public for meetings and parties. Additionally, the ZPACC
houses ZACH’s Scene and Properties Shops, and offices for the production staff.
Following the completion of the Topfer Theatre, we will move into the next phases of
renovating the ZPACC to include administrative and production offices, an additional
rehearsal studio and the costume shop. When the ZPACC renovation is complete,
we will transform the administrative offices currently in the Binning-Dickson
Education Center into additional classrooms and support offices for the ZACH
Education Department.
When will construction begin?
Site work will begin very soon after the groundbreaking ceremony in February 2011. We
anticipate construction of the actual building will commence in late February.
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When will the majority of the construction end?
We anticipate principal construction of the theatre shell will be completed by the
summer of 2011, weather permitting. We’re currently anticipating a grand opening
event for the fall of 2012.
When will ZACH host its first performance in the new theatre? What will it be?
ZACH will produce its first season in the Topfer Theatre during the 2012–2013
Season. Assuming the construction schedule holds, the first Mainstage Season
performance in the Topfer Theatre will open in September 2012. ZACH will
inaugurate its Karen Kuykendall Stage with the spectacular Broadway musical
RAGTIME with a book by Texas playwright Terrence McNally, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens
and music by Stephen Flaherty.
The 2012-13 Season will focus on “a place where dreams are realized” and producing
RAGTIME has been a decade-long dream for Producing Artistic Director Dave
Steakley.
Likewise, the completion of the Topfer Theatre Campaign will represent the
realization of a long-held dream by the artistic leadership, artists, staff, Board and
community leaders to create an outstanding regional theatre for Austin. The inagural
season will also include a world premiere play by Steven Dietz, America’s most
produced playwright, a regular on ZACH’s stage, and head of the playwriting program
at the University of Texas.
ZACH is also commissioning a series of short works called “The Balcony Plays”
designed to be performed on ZACH’s Juliet balcony on the façade of the entrance to
the Topfer Theatre and on the plaza below the balcony. Famous balcony scenes from
classic works like Evita, West Side Story, Cyrano de Bergerac, A Streetcar Named
Desire, Romeo and Juliet and others will be performed alongside brand new short
plays and musicals in this site specific locale. These plays will be performed prior to
Mainstage performances free of charge, to encourage patrons to gather early on the
plaza for a rotating repertory of surprise balcony plays throughout the entire season.
Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks is the first artist signed up to
contribute plays to this on-going series.
What will happen to the Kleberg and Whisenhunt theatres?
Both existing theatres will remain essential parts of the ZACH performance campus.
The Kleberg Stage will serve three functions moving forward: (1) it becomes ZACH’s
incubator for original musicals and plays getting their first production, (2) serves as
the performance venue for ZACH’s Pre-Professional students in the Education
department, and (3) will have long-running productions of popular musicals and plays,
which sustain the theatre’s Mainstage artistic initiatives and draws tourism to the city.
The Whisenhunt Stage will serve as the primary stage for our popular educational
programs and performances, including Playspace for preschool age children, camps,
classes and Pre-Professional performances for youth. A limited number of ZACH
play offerings or holiday traditions for adult audiences will continue here as well.
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How will construction impact the other theatres?
Construction of the new Topfer Theatre should have little if any impact on the rest of
our theatres. Our performances are at night or on weekends when hardly any
construction should be occurring. Additionally, our production team will be working
closely with the construction team throughout the process to keep noise as limited as
possible for our staff and our neighbors. Furthermore, we will be able to
accommodate our patrons with dedicated evening and weekend parking in and
around the campus.
Why is the stage named after Karen Kuykendall?
Karen Kuykendall was Austin’s most beloved actress and a community treasure, and
ZACH is honored to name the new stage after such an extraordinary Austin talent
who shined brightly on ZACH’s stage for more than five decades. By the late Fifties,
Karen was performing with Austin Civic Theatre (now ZACH Theatre) and appeared
in ACT's first-ever musical, The Boyfriend, in 1958. ZACH became Karen's
performance home, the site of her triumphant work as Diana Vreeland in the solo
show Full Gallop, Fräulein Schneider in Cabaret, Andy Warhol in The Rocky Horror
Show, Ann Richards in House Arrest and part of the award-winning ensemble of
Angels in America.
Not only a distinguished actress and singer, Karen was a successful real estate
agent regularly in Austin’s elite Top Ten Realtors, and an arts leader serving on the
boards of Ballet Austin, Conspirare, and Austin Musical Theatre. Karen was named
Best Diva in the Chronicle's "Best of Austin," inducted into the Austin Arts Hall of
Fame, named the Girl Scouts' Volunteer of the Year, given Austin Cabaret Theatre's
first Arts in ACTion Award, and received the 2007 Austin Circle of Theaters' Special
Recognition Award for outstanding contributions to Austin theatre.
Karen grew up in the family home that is now Green Pastures Restaurant, the
daughter of Mary Faulk Koock, who hosted the ranch parties given by President and
Mrs. Lyndon Johnson. She was the niece of blacklisted humorist and First
Amendment advocate John Henry Faulk for whom Austin’s library is named.
Fortunately for us, Karen lived by the adage “all the world’s a stage,” and she made
an unforgettable impact in every arena of Austin life.
Karen embraced theater as a full-contact sport. She was bigger than life because
she saw that as her job, and with extravagant physical and vocal flourishes she
would tickle our funny bone, drain the last drop of irony from Cole Porter and move
us to the furthest reaches of our heart. Upon receiving the Lifetime Achievement
Award from the Austin Circle of Theaters, Kuykendall said, “There is no place I feel
more at home or more alive than on stage.”
What’s happening at the groundbreaking?
This isn’t your typical shovel ceremony; in fact, we don’t have any shovels at all. We
have a very special ceremony planned that involves brief remarks from Mayor Pro
Tem Martinez, Performing Arts Benefactor Mort Topfer, ZACH Producing Artistic
Director Dave Steakley and ZACH Managing Director Elisbeth Challener.
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We will have performances before, in between and after the remarks, featuring
“Wheels of a Dream” from the musical RAGTIME sung by Roderick Sanford,
Barbara Chisholm performing as Lady Bird Johnson, and a ZACH cast of more than
50 Austin actors led by Janis Stinson, Judy Arnold, Tim Curry and Roderick Sanford
who will perform.
The ceremony is followed by a luncheon catered by some of Austin’s most beloved
local eateries. There will be additional opportunities to learn about the new facility
from Andersson Wise architects and the ZACH project leaders. There will be
additional opportunities to learn about the new facility from Andersson Wise
architects and the ZACH project leaders. It will be a great event!
What green/sustainable features will this theatre/construction project include?
Our construction team will be seeking LEED-silver certification from the U.S. Green
Building Council, making the Topfer Theatre among the first dedicated performance
theatres in Texas to achieve the rating. This certification will address a number of
green construction and sustainable design features including:
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Two low-maintenance rain gardens that will clean surface rainwater and irrigate
native plant species; the garden will feature educational signage for passers by
There are currently 36 healthy, non-invasive trees on the site; when construction
is complete we will have a total of 73 trees providing shade, color and habitat
The use of LED lighting in patron and stage areas of the building
Water-efficient plumbing fixtures
The use of recycled-content and regionally manufactured building and finish
materials
Potable water for irrigation that will reduce water use by a projected 50 percent
Reflective roofing and high-performance glazing will support higher energy
efficiency
The contractor is committed to more than 75 percent waste diversion from the landfill
What is happening to the trees that are located where the theatre is going?
The City of Austin’s and PARD’s arborists, working with ZACH’s landscape architect
and an independent arborist, have surveyed all 51 trees on the site. Six of them are
in serious decline or dead and nine of them are invasive and considered undesirable.
Working closely with these arborists, a plan been has developed to move healthy
trees and provide extra effort toward keeping other existing trees in place. When
construction is complete we will be adding 37 new trees to the site.
Will you have catering services in the new building?
While our concession area will be larger and able to accommodate more prepared
foods such as sandwiches and snacks for our patrons before each show, all events
requiring full food service will be prepared from outside the campus from our
dedicated caterer Austin Catering.
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FUNDRAISING/FINANCIAL
How much money has ZACH raised and what is ZACH’s fundraising goal?
To date, we’ve raised approximately $17.26 million, including $10 million through a
citizen-approved bond initiative in 2006. Since the end of 2008, we’ve raised
approximately $2 million in one of the most challenging fundraising environments in
generations. Overall, we want to raise approximately $22 million.
What kind of major gifts has ZACH received more recently?
Since October 2009, when we made our last announcement of major gifts, we’ve
received generous contributions from:
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3M
Jane B. Armstrong
The Carolyn Bartlett Foundation
Suzanne and David Booth
Tom and Carmel Borders
Michael and Susan Dell Foundation
Gloria and Harvey Evans
Gary Farmer
Carolyn and Tom Gallagher
Kathleen and Harvey Guion
Don Hammill
Craig Hester
Julia Marsden
Jack and Patsy Martin
Bonnie Mills
Jim Bob and Lauree Moffett
Bettye and Bill Nowlin
Candace and Michael Partridge
The Sheskey Family Foundation
Bobbi and Mort Topfer
From where are you planning to get that money?
Up until now, our funds for this campaign have come from the citizen-approved bond
program of 2006 and primarily from individuals who have a passion for the great
work created and performed at ZACH. With a new development director on board
and timed with the groundbreaking, our focus will expand to corporations and
foundations while we continue to seek larger contributions from individual donors, all
of whom we think will be interested in a number of recently identified naming
opportunities.
In the coming months, we will turn our attention to a more grassroots approach that
will include our season ticket holders, patrons and the general public, as well as a
seat-naming initiative.
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Are you confident you can raise the remaining funds, especially in this economic
environment?
Absolutely. ZACH has a number of passionate and dedicated supporters who are
eager to support this campaign. Many have expressed interest in giving, but we
have asked them during our quiet fundraising period to wait while we concentrated
on larger donor opportunities, which is the standard practice for major campaigns of
this nature.
I thought the Long Center was going to build a Topfer Theatre. What happened?
The Long Center originally envisioned an 800-seat theatre as part of its collection of
performance spaces that would have been named for the Topfers; however, that
theatre did not materialize under a new plan before construction on the Long Center
began. The Topfers continue to support the Long Center but they are also strong
believers in ZACH’s vision. We’re so honored that Mort Topfer has joined our board
and is helping us in our continued fundraising efforts. The Topfers are true champions
to the local artistic and cultural scene that builds and nurtures the creative class here
in Austin.
What kind of challenges have you faced regarding fundraising in this economic
climate?
When the recession abruptly hit at the end of 2008, we made the difficult but
deliberate decision to continue our fundraising efforts at a slower and appropriately
realistic pace while a number of nonprofit organizations here and across the country
suspended their capital campaigns entirely. It was a bold but calculated move at the
time that certainly has slowed us down in getting to this point, but we’re here now
and it’s been well worth the wait.
Fortunately, we have a strong track record of financial stewardship. We’ve remained
in the black for the past 20 years, including the last two years during the recession.
How will ZACH pay for the operations once the new theatre opens?
While our performances are thought provoking, ZACH has always been fiscally
conservative. We continue to operate in the black, even during this recession. We
have a five-year business plan and annual management plan that accounts for the
operations of the new space as well as a strategy to use the Kleberg for long-running
populist works, which will support annual operations and overall tourism. Our budget
does not rely on any presenting revenue, although we believe there is great potential
for that opportunity.
Why would ZACH begin construction on a building when it hasn’t raised all of the
money necessary in the fundraising campaign?
Some donors need to immerse themselves in the building before they feel
comfortable donating to it. As is typical for these types of major fundraising
campaigns, construction begins when a campaign has reached approximately 75
percent of its fundraising goal, which we have surpassed. The new Topfer Theatre is
shifting from a dream to tangible reality. Now is the time to engage with those ready
for the tangible.
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Why did ZACH seek public dollars for this effort?
In the mid-1980s, ZACH, the Austin Museum of Art, the Paramount Theatre and MexicArte received public funds through a bond initiative for capital campaign projects.
Although the other projects did not materialize, ZACH secured funding and public
support in the economic downtown of the late 1980s/early 1990s. In 1991, ZACH
opened the Whisenhunt Stage, costume shop, Junior League Education Studio and
administrative offices.
The board and staff then began envisioning a larger performance venue and campus
plan that was not financially possible at that time. Recognizing the success of the
1985 bond initiative and ZACH’s ability to deliver on the promise to the citizens of
Austin, ZACH pursued funds in the 2006 city bond election under Proposition 4 for
the Cultural Funding projects, which included Mexic-Arte, the Austin Film Society, the
Asian American Culture Center, The Carver Museum and the Mexican American
Cultural Center. The bond package was approved by Austin voters to allocate $10
million to ZACH’s project. Now we’re once again ready to make this building another
success story for Austin and a testament to perseverance during challenging
financial times.
What kind of cost savings is ZACH achieving by constructing the theatre now?
We are certainly competing with fewer construction projects across the city. We
estimate we’re saving about $250,000 for the cost of construction and materials
like steel.
How is the deal with the City structured? Who owns the land?
The City of Austin owns the ZACH facility, including the Kleberg, Whisenhunt and
future Topfer theatres, which sits on dedicated city public land. Like the Long Center,
ZACH maintains a 99-year lease with the City of Austin and ZACH is fully
responsible for the cost of maintenance and operations. ZACH owns the ZPACC and
will own all of the performance equipment inside the Topfer Theatre.
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