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News Releases 
First Media Hard Hat Tour of CTC's Building Expansion 
Update on Capital Campaign Momentum
Special Early Dates for CTC's 2005/2006 season and Grand Opening Events
For Immediate Release: March 23, 2005
Minneapolis, MN - At a press conference today, The Children's Theatre Company celebrated the momentum of its capital campaign and hosted a hardhat tour of its building expansion for Twin Cities' media.
"We are just a few months from the grand opening of our new theater and education wing," said CTC managing director Teresa Eyring, "and as the building grows more complete each day, we wanted to share our progress with the Twin Cities."
In February 2004, CTC began construction of a 45,000 square foot building expansion that will dramatically increase its ability to serve all the young people of this community. The project includes the McGuire Education Center, which will welcome 2-18 year olds, and contain four classrooms, a performance space for students, a dance studio, a lounge and restrooms.
Also added will be The Cargill Stage, a theater space that will be programmed primarily for teens and preschoolers. The theater has been designed to be completely reconfigurable, allowing CTC the opportunity to present every conceivable theatrical style - from proscenium to thrust to promenade to in-the-round. The new building will also contain dedicated rehearsal space, expanded production shops and expanded rest room facilities.
The expansion is supported by CTC's first-ever capital campaign. The campaign has gone exceedingly well due to the leadership and hard work of the steering committee (co-chaired by Jim Hale and Topsy Simonson), and the generosity of those donors who have made gifts to the campaign. It was announced today that the $27 million goal has been achieved, clearing the way for CTC to launch an encore phase of the campaign under the leadership of new co-chairs Mary Lou Dasburg and Rob Johnson.
Eyring went on to say that early discussions based on a needs analysis, projected a $30+ million goal. However, since the results of a market assessment showed that a $27 million campaign goal was more realistic, CTC leadership decided to proceed in a more conservative manner, reluctantly eliminating artistic development and working capital/depreciation funds, as well as reducing endowment funds from the capital campaign budget.
"But, we knew how important those items were to our mission and promised ourselves we would seek to reinstate them when it seemed appropriate," Eyring continued. "And now, because our campaign has received such incredible support from the community and continues to have tremendous momentum, and because we're essentially on time and on budget, we are able to revise our campaign goal to $30 million."
The revised campaign goal allows CTC the opportunity to further engage with arts and education supporters, subscribers and friends. Under the leadership of CTC board member Barry Knight, a seat campaign is in progress. For $5,000 per seat, CTC patrons and supporters have an opportunity to purchase a seat with a plaque honoring either an individual or family of their choosing. To date, requests have included grandparents honoring their grandchildren and children honoring their mother.
Every level of support is welcome and price breakdowns for naming opportunities include $250,000 for a production shop (props, costumes), $500,000 for a classroom or rehearsal room, $1 million for the dance studio or skyline mezzanine and $5 million for the main stage.
The building expansion has been a long held dream of CTC leadership, staff, Board of Governors and community supporters, and the design goal has always been to support programming.
"We have said from the beginning that this building would be built from the inside out," said Brosius. "It has been. This expansion is the result of amazingly detailed attention to our mission, vision and values, and every inch of space is brilliantly used to support our new programming for preschoolers and teens - through both the McGuire Education Center and The Cargill Stage."
The new physical space, designed by Michael Graves and Associates intentionally departs from the Kenzo Tange design of 1974. After years of being hidden behind white brick walls, The Children's Theatre Company is now literally and figuratively opening its windows to the world. The new building was designed with a multitude of windows so that the energy and imagination of CTC would not only be visible to the community, but also be a welcoming presence in the community.
"It's fantastic," said Brosius. "To look in is to see productions (sets, props, costumes) being built, theater arts training classes being taken, workshops being conducted and performances being rehearsed. To look out is to see the Whittier community that CTC calls home, as well as extraordinary views of downtown Minneapolis."
CTC received the 2003 Tony® Award for Outstanding Regional Theater. The Children's Theatre Company (CTC) is the nation's leading theater for young people and families. Images are available on CTC's photo distribution website: www.ctcpix.org.
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Special Early Dates for CTC's 2005/2006 season and Grand Opening Events
August 26, 2005
Sleeping Beauty opens on the mainstage
September 2, 2005
4-ISH opens on the mainstage and runs in repertory with Sleeping Beauty
September 24, 2005
CTC's annual fundraiser, the Grand Opening Curtain Call Ball - the first to be held in the new space
October 7 – 9, 2005
Grand Opening of Expansion – events, activities and performances to introduce the public to CTC's new space
Subscriptions are on sale now for the 2005/2006 season.
Through June 19 on the CTC mainstage is The Hobbit, an American premiere
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