LAKEWOOD, Ohio -- Having recently celebrated its 85th year of professional theater, the Beck Center for the Arts is looking to its future with a $5.7 million capital campaign to renovate the century-old Detroit Avenue campus to increase accessibility, energy efficiency and functionality.

The public phase of the campaign kicks off with the “Raise the Roof” rally, scheduled from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. March 10 in the Beck Center’s Main Gallery.

“This is our first capital campaign,” Director of Development Dena Adler said. “For more than four years, we’ve been working on the silent phase of the capital campaign, which is where we cultivated those donors at five-, six- and seven-figure gifts.

“We also have 100 percent participation from our board, which committed $1 million. Now that we’re halfway, it’s time for the public to know kind of what’s happening and how they can be a part of it.”

The “Raise the Roof” affair includes a reception, short presentation and renderings of the project, which includes design and construction project partners Bialosky Cleveland and Turner Construction.

The capital renovations include an updated and enlarged entryway, more accommodating public restrooms and better access to classrooms for students of all ages and abilities.

In addition, the Beck Center will convert the armory building to a Center for Music and Creative Arts Therapies, as well as improve its existing performance space. Also, the main building will host a new Center for Dance Education with two state-of-the-art dance studios.

The construction will allow dance education for the first time to be housed together, using a total of four studio spaces. Furthermore, visual arts and theater education classrooms will also be updated.

Invariably, the capital campaign is a product of the Beck Center’s success. The 3-acre campus is currently home to a full array of classes and programs in dance, music, theater, visual arts and community outreach.

“We’re serving 30 percent more people than we were in 2006, when our economic impact at that time was $10 million,” Adler said. “We know that our programs have grown, creative arts therapy has grown. We have the biggest dance programs in Northeast Ohio and maybe Ohio. We’re the oldest youth theater program in the state.

“Because of all of those things, it’s time to have a facility match the people we serve. It’s time to have classrooms accessible. It’s time for us to update and upgrade and basically get with the times.”

The “Raise the Roof” rally includes a discussion about the $1 million challenge grant, which through pledges and gifts the Beck Center hopes to have wrapped up by the end of the year.

However, Adler said that because the campaign already has raised enough funds, construction is scheduled to start in August, with the transformation of the armory due to be completed in 2021.

“Once we finish that and get everybody moved in there, then we’re going to start working on the main building,” Adler said. “So $4 million is going toward our construction renovation and then the other $1.7 million is going toward sustainability and program initiative ‘Launch Pad,’ which will be a board-directed fund for our faculty and staff to be able to use that money for increasing programs and technology.

“It’s really exciting. We can’t wait to share it with the public. It’s a great time for Beck.”

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