03/14/1983 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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e - e B. Eugene Opera: Laurie Smith, President Ms. Smith said the Eugene Opera is a new company of which there are two in Oregon. The Eugene Opera moved into the HCPA this year in the sixth year of production. Ms. Smith said performances are of high professional quality even under trying budget conditions. She stressed the Eugene Opera is a local professional organization with the board of directors from Lane County. She said the Eugene Opera is gaining a national reputation and is a growing, thriving company. She stressed that if the Eugene Opera Company does not survive in the HCPA the only opera Eugene will see will be opera that comes to town, sells tickets, and the money leaves town with the touring company. C. Eugene Symphony: Janet Johnston, President Ms. Johnston stated the Eugene Symphony Board of Directors is proud of the achi evements thi s season. The Eugene Symphony set out three years ago tD buil d a quality symphony orchestra that was worthy of performing in the HCPA. She said that has been achieved. The budget in 1978-79 was $88,000. This year the budget proposed is $607,000. In 1978-79, 920 season tickets were sold. This year 22,000 season tickets were sold. Ms. Johnston said these figures represent phenomenal growth. She said the board of directors was responsible for the leap of faith it took to achieve that growth. The bottom line of the budget is that there is not enough supplementary money to sustain the quality of orchestra that has been produced. Ms. Johnston said the 1983-84 season will be a reduced season. The board of directors will be asked for an extra $25,000 to fi ni sh thi s season. Ms. Johnston said the question is whether the qual ity of the programs offered this year can be sustained. C. Oregon Repertory Theater: Philip Miller, President Mr. Miller said ORT was established by three University of Oregon graduate students under the assumption it would be professional in two years. He said the theater's home was established in 1976 and it had built a solid organization into a comfortable 100-seat theater. Mr. Miller E!I1phasized that growth and becoming fully professional is the focus and the management structure has been reorganized with a managing director instead of a producing director. ORT has outgrown a 212-seat theater and into a 500-seat theater. Mr. ~\i1l er observed that becoming a stable organization is a four- or five-year job. No profes- sional group will achieve stability unless they are a community project. III. PERFORMING ARTS ORGANIZATIONS NEEDS Mr. Toland observed the four organizations have a continuing thread. One is the pride in their jobs, a recogni ti on that it is not done for themsel ves or alone. The four groups share fear and anxi ety. They recogni ze that they represent a potent force in the community, espeCially economically. Mr. Toland said they also recognize if there is to be a cultural legacy in the future, it is up to them and they must work together. He noted a closer collaborative effort in the past two years on the part of performing arts organizations which call themselves professional and which seek to establish residency in the HCPA. Those companies MINUTES--Eugene City Council March 14, 1983 Page 2