Good morning all,

My request was for assistance in justifying a district exspense for
building a brand new auditorium. Here is a compilation of your responses.

Once again, many thanks to all who helped out! Now we all cross our
fingers and wait.

Thanks again!
-Scott Lounsbury
Shaker Regional School District
Belmont, NH
mailto:splouns(at)shaker.k12.nh.us



**In addition to the uses your school will find for the auditorium,
there must be local theater,
dance, and musical groups that would appreciate having such a facility
available. Use by such
outside groups can generate revenue for the school that hosts the
auditorium.
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**Money talks! Find out from a district that has built an auditorium --
a district the same size as yours -what the income has been from
organizations that rent it.
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**The auditorium was built in 1989 when we were a small community/ the
high school uses the auditorium but shows are booked through a
subscription series that supports it. Our students go on to get jobs
in technical theatre and sound. We have a class that teaches them to
use the auditorium. Students work the professional shows that come into
the auditorium and they get valuable learning experience. The entire
community uses our auditorium. (they pay a usage fee from ticket sales)
When I taught elem. school I did musicals with 250 kids - all of the
parents could fit.
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**I wrote a friend of mine whose fulltime job is now managing a high
school auditorium. This is one of 3 very busy auditoriums in the area,
and he sent me the following list of events which happen in this
facility each year. I'm going to attach his email address so that you
may write him privately if you'd like. Best of luck to you getting your
facility!

Here's what he said:

auditoriums. Here's my schedule:

Every Wednesday - Senior Class. This time is also used for other class
meetings as well.

September:
Hi Tech Graduation
Orchestra Clinic
Musical rehearsals
Musical performances
October
Musical performances cont.
Irving Band Festival
Honor Society Induction
All-City Orchestra
Choir begins rehearsals
November
Region Choir Clinic/Concert
Jr Hi Theater Festival
Region Orchestra Clinic/Concert
Theater moves in for rehearsals
December
Theater Production
Irving Philharmonic Concert with Nimitz Choir
Orchestra Cluster Concert
Band Christmas Concert
January
Region Band Clinic/Concert
All-City Band rehearsals and performance
Pre-registration for incoming Freshman
German Club Induction
February
Pre Registration continues
Orchestra Pre-UIL
Lamar Musical Moves in
March
Lamar Musical
Orchestra UIL (3 days)
UIL Play Performances
Vika.s move in for rehearsals
April
Vika Show
Choir UIL
Local Dance Studio - Recital
May
Ballet Folklorico
Choir Show
Theater Moves in
Theater Productions
Orchestra Concert
Underclass Awards
Senior Walk
Band Concert
Dance Recital (Different studio)
June
Hi Tech Graduation

This is just some of the goings on in this facility. We will have the
FW Opera squeezed in somewhere along the way, plus another concert by
the L C Symphony Orchestra.. >>
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**Is there an active community arts organization? If so, they could
bring in world class performers. Local performing groups (i.e.) theater,
dance, music, etc., could use the space provided the designers took into
consideration the needs of the various performing groups with adequate
dressing rooms, sound system, loading area, fly system, acoustic, etc.

I am fortunate to be in a community with a 1400 seat auditorium with
wonderful acoustic, full orchestra pit, fly system, lighting, adequate
dressing and loading areas. The local arts council pushed for it in 1971
(we just had renovations to the sound system and seating area). Our arts
council brings in world class performers for all students 3 times per year.

Local performing groups will appreciate a fine auditorium with good
acoustic and therefore there will be more interest in those groups.

"If you build it...they will come".
===============================
**The very nature of community is that it GATHERS - and an auditorium is
for that purpose. It benefits the school and the wider community when
you share student talents and achievements (assuming that it will be
open to community and even outside groups for use)

Auditorium is a place to hear ideas - growth in community from gathered
wisdom at meetings, growth in human spirit as you share musical
emotional expression.


**I'm sure you'll get lots of replies on the artistic merits of a
community have an auditorium - and I agree with all of them - but you
might want to stress the value to the community itself, for use during
town and school district meetings, etc. There is also the possibility
of allowing other groups to use the auditorium for a fee, and helping to
defray at least the operating cost.