Monday, April 28, 2008

Local developer proposes McKinney indoor theater

By Brett Ryder of McKinneyNews.net

Blackard says his Adriatica theater may take designing cues from American Airlines Theatre in New York City.

MCKINNEY — If a local developer has it his way, you’ll be dancing in the isles of a new performing arts center not located outside the city’s tax boundaries, but smack dab in the middle of McKinney.

Jeff Blackard, president of the Blackard Group, said last week that he’s preparing to present McKinney City Manager Frank Ragan plans for a $13-15 million indoor performing arts center to be built in Adriatica, Blackard’s mock Croatian village located at the corner of Virginia Parkway and Stonebridge Drive.

Blackard, working with Craig Janssen of Dallas-based Acoustic Dimensions, has come up with a 1,300-seat auditorium plan that, Blackard says, will put McKinney on the map.

“McKinney just seems to not be getting in the game meaning – we have a wonderful downtown, that’s our trademark, but what else can we do that other cities don’t have?” Blackard asked.

Blackard said he met with Janssen devoid of an agenda or a conceptual plan. Janssen, Blackard said, was incredulous at first.

“He wanted to know what I had in mind, but I wouldn’t tell him,” Blackard said. “I wanted him to tell me what he thought would work best.”

What Janssen came up with is a proposed formal design. That’s architecture speak for building something new that looks old – both inside and out.

Blackard said that if built, a 1,300-seat auditorium would represent a “magic number” allowing for maximum ticket sales while not compromising venue intimacy between performer and audience.

Where does Blackard expect to get the money for his project? Well, first off, Blackard said, that is the wrong question.

“It’s not my auditorium, it’s the peoples’ auditorium,” he said.

Blackard is proposing a public/private partnership with the city putting up the initial $13-15 million either through a bond program or with help from McKinney’s Community Development Corporation. Once the auditorium is built, a private company would manage the facility with Blackard himself guaranteeing it.

Adriatica project developer Jeff Blackard speaks at a McKinney City Council meeting.

“Jeff Blackard will guarantee negatives on the theater,” Blackard said. “Typically they don’t make money. We are going to do our best to break even, but [the theater] will obviously draw people to our community.

Blackard was quick to point out that money spent in McKinney is tax revenue that will be put back into the city, a comment aimed at the questionable utility of McKinney’s plunking down about $19 million to participate in the Arts of Collin County facility on S.H. 121 and Custer Rd. Additionally, Blackard emphasized that his proposal would not, unlike the Arts of Collin County, require tax payers to pay for facility operating costs.

“I support what they’re doing, but if I had a dollar to spend, I’d spend it in my own backyard first,” Blackard said. “They already said they would build it without us. Let them build it.”

Blackard said that as far back as four or five years ago he was thinking about a project that would not only draw people to McKinney, but would provide the preponderance of current residents an opportunity to get out and enjoy themselves on a regular basis.

“It’s for all people to enjoy,” Blackard emphasized several times. “It will be something for the community to do every night.”

Blackard’s entertainment vision for the auditorium is an eclectic one: Christmas pageants, comedians, Broadway shows, and perhaps even Bruce Springsteen.

At a city council candidate forum held two weeks ago downtown, the question of funding potential community improvement projects was proffered. Specifically, candidates were asked their views regarding funding for four large -- and expensive – projects in various stages of development: the Arts of Collin County, Blackard’s indoor theater, an ice rink at Craig Ranch, and a downtown parking structure.

Pete Huff, a current councilperson seeking reelection, toted an economically cautious line, expressing concern about spending more money than the city takes in.

“I’m not in favor of [more taxes].” Huff said succinctly.

While Ray Ricchi went on record stating he was absolutely in favor of funding the Arts of Collin County (Ricchi is running unopposed for city council), the other candidates were not as forthcoming, choosing instead to suggest more facts and figures were needed before committing to any project.

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Comments

Carol Rice Verified

As the Artistic Director of Rover Dramawerks, an 8-year old professional theatre company now based in Plano, my question is, what good is a 1300 seat theatre? Most small companies can't fill a house that large so you're left with touring shows, and most touring shows won't fit in a house that small.

Look at the Eisemann as an example - no one local can afford it. The Classics just went under trying to do so, and they were a 20 year old company.

Rover Dramawerks spent our first five years roaming because of lack of suitable theatre spaces, and if it hadn't been for the Cox Building Playhouse in Plano opening up, we would probably have shut our doors. The Cox seats maximum 120, and we usually configure the space to seat about 80. Even across the breezeway, the Courtyard Theater seats 325, and that's too large for a small theatre company, although we're working on growing into it.

What this area needs - and this is something that ALL small theatre companies keep trying to tell uneducated developers - is a bunch of smaller theatre spaces in one building. This would make it affordable and keep multiple shows going at all times, sharing lobby space and cross polinating their audiences.

Developers need to think about what is actually DONE in a theatre space instead of what might look pretty downtown.

3 months, 3 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )