Aaron

August 21st, 2008 at 5:51 pm    

All valid questions, Ryan. Since TPAC receives tax payer money I would like to know their operating budget and revenues. If they are set up as a non-profit what do they do with the profit at the end of their fiscal year, if there is any? This may be information that is provided to the City, but I cannot seem to locate it.

Erin

August 21st, 2008 at 6:35 pm    

I found your posts today and thought I’d take the time to answer the questions as best as I can. I am the Marketing Manager for the Topeka Performing Arts Center.

In answer to the question about Marketing and advertising events. We do the best that we can with limited budgets. This typically includes radio, television, newspaper, local community newsletters and local magazines. We also send out e-mail blasts to people who have signed up for them through our website and ticketmaster. In addition, we try to get the events posted on our Myspace page, Facebook profile and Facebook page. For most shows there are posters put up throughout the community. Our website is updated as frequently as possible with announcements and show information is also sent to all local media outlets.

Here are some facts about TPAC that you may not know…
TPAC’s Impact on the Community
Quality of Life
- Since 1991 TPAC has presented 3,822 events.
- 60,255 patrons attended events in 2007.

Educational Enrichment
- Since 1994, more than 30,000 third-graders from Shawnee and the surrounding counties have participated in TPAC’s Sheffel Theater Clinic.

Economic Impact
- In 2007, TPAC brought in close to $1.1 million in revenue including funding provided by the City of Topeka. That total includes over $320,000 in private funds. Private funds include sponsorships, grant money, quarterly dividends from trust funds, Friends of TPAC memberships and money raised at two annual fundraisers – Grape Escape and Gingerbread Homes for the Holidays.
- TPAC has operated in the black since the fall of 2006.

Our executive director has released the following statement about TPAC.

TPAC Funding
Most of you are aware of the recent vote the Topeka City Council made to cut the Topeka Performing Arts Center’s funding from their 2009 budget. We would like to reassure you at this time, we have several other options that are being pursued and we are not closing our doors.

Since VenuWorks, Inc. (formally Compass Facility Management, Inc.) has managed TPAC, we have made tremendous steps to turning this facility around and becoming a vital part of the Topeka community and its quality of life. In the last three years alone we have been able to payoff a large number of debts and actually start making repairs to the building, not to mention the major renovations to the lower level last year.

This being said, it is true we are not self sustainable, as with many Performing Arts facilities and event venues around the nation. However, we are in a more favorable financial situation than in many of the past years.

We appreciate the support that Northeast Kansas has given us throughout the years and know that maintaining the quality of performances we present would not be possible without the communities support.

We hope you will join us in presenting a positive attitude to the community. We encourage you to make your voices heard by contacting your Topeka City Council Representative, the Mayor’s Office and the City Manager’s Office.

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Our web address is http://www.tpactix.org
Myspace
Facebook

We have a wide range of shows on the schedule for this season including some that cater to a younger demographic. We would love to continue this trend but must have support from the young adults in the community to convince shows of this nature to play in Topeka.

Alissa Sheley

August 21st, 2008 at 9:36 pm    

Thanks for posting Erin! We appreciate the information you’ve provided. It will help clear up some of the misnomers out there.

Personally, I am very disappointed that the City Council decided to cut funding for TPAC. In fact, when I read the article on Wednesday morning, it made me sick to my stomach.

TPAC is a vital resource this community NEEDS! Ryan is correct, this is a quality of life issue. TPAC helps round out the rich cultural offerings in Topeka by bringing in out-of-state performers of all types – musicians, dancers, theater and comedians. Entertainment of that caliber typically requires a trip to Kansas City.

To me, the part that’s really upsetting, is why the funding cut was necessary. I know there are lots of people out there that didn’t want property taxes to increase, and I can certainly understand that. But the increase was going to be less than $35 per year for a house with a property value of $100,000. LESS THAN $35 for crying out loud!

That’s LESS than a tank of gas. LESS than a nice dinner out with your significant other. And most certainly, LESS than the amount you’d spend taking just one trip to Kansas City a year to watch a similar performance.

To me, the $35 doesn’t really seem like a sacrifice. Instead it seems like an investment – an investment in Topeka, as well as an investment in my potential entertainment options.

Shanae Gooden

August 21st, 2008 at 11:15 pm    

I appreciate everyone’s thoughts on this. I danced at TPAC for many years. It is such a great venue with so much history. Erin, the information you provided about the marketing is great information to provide to everyone. I know management has been working hard for many years to turn things around at TPAC and know that some improvements have been realized in the past few years. I do feel though as there is still a lot of room for improvement financially with TPAC. I do not feel that tax money should have to support such a venue, so honestly I am not upset that the budget was cut. I don’t feel that the city should be funding other venues that they also fund, Heartland Park, but that is a discussion for another time and place. I have been doing some research tonight because I heard that there was a facility similar to TPAC in Salina, KS that was self-sustaining. I found the Stiefel Theatre online and they have some pretty big acts coming to Salina, KS (Billy Bob Thornton’s Band, Rodney Carrington, Phil Vassar, George Winston, and others). I looked at Salina’s city budget and no tax money was allocated to this venue. Our tiny neighbor to the west, with 1/3 of our population, can keep its performing arts center alive without tax money. Someone needs to step in and make this happen with TPAC (maybe model after Salina) so we don’t lose something so valuable to the city.

Alissa Sheley

August 22nd, 2008 at 3:41 pm    

Shanae -

Have you been to Salina lately? Or the Performing Arts Center that is located there? If you have, you’ll notice that their situation isn’t as similar to Topeka’s as it might appear on paper.

Salina is an arts town, and has been for many years. The ENTIRE town supports the arts, whether it’s at their annual Smokey Hills River Festival (one of the most highly-recognized art shows in the nation), their indy movie theater (Arts Center Cinema) or their Performing Arts Center.

While I believe that Topeka is moving in that direction, I’m not sure we’re there yet. At this point, I think if the City decided to end funding TPAC will be in trouble. As Erin mentioned, TPAC is headed in the right direction, they’re just not quite there yet.

If the City is going to end funding, they need to do so in an incremental, scheduled manner. By that I mean, set a date (a couple of years in the future) to completely terminate funding, and until then gradually decrease dollars. This will allow them the necessary time to find alternative funding sources and adequately plan additional fund raising campaigns. It’s pretty darn hard to find an extra $300,000 in a matter of months.

To me that seems like a reasonable compromise that can make everyone happy.

Shanae Gooden

August 22nd, 2008 at 11:18 pm    

The tax subsidies were only intended to be temporary in 1991. I believe that the city funding was supposed to end some time in the late 90’s, but I could be wrong. While I agree that gradual may be the way to go, if that is the case, TPAC got some extra years to plan for this shortfall.