In the hopes of becoming a national destination spot for arts-oriented tourists, the Shakespeare Theatre Company will open a new complex later this year, complementing its existing stage in Penn Quarter.
The Harman Center for the Arts, which opens Oct. 1, will encompass the existing Lansburgh Theatre and the new Sidney Harman Hall. The company, which announced its 2007-2008 season this week, will now perform eight shows a season rather than five, thanks to the addition of the 775-seat theater, managing director Nicholas Goldsborough said Wednesday.
The expansion plan has been brewing since 200, when the board of trustees decided it wanted to see the Shakespeare Theater Company reach audiences beyond the boundaries of the metro region, Goldsborough said.
“We were forecasting that it was going to be increasingly difficult to support the aspirations of this company in what was just a 451-seat theater,” Goldsborough said.
The company sells its shows to about 90 percent capacity, spokeswoman Liza Lorenz said, meaning the group was limited from extending popular shows or reducing
ticket prices. The Harmen Center cost approximately $86 million to build, with $62.5 million raised through fundraising and the remainder through financing, Golsborough said.
Shakespeare Theatre plans to gain additional revenue by using the complex as a place for other, smaller companies to stage their shows, Goldsborough said. They already have commitments with the Washington Bach Consort, the Capital Fringe Festival, the Washington Performing Arts Society and other institutions to partner when the theater opens.
The changes likely will drive the company’s annual budget up by about $4 million, to around $19 million, he said. Part of the theater’s new business plan is to launch a reduced ticket campaign to reach a broader audience; they will offer 20,000 seats for $10 throughout the year, Goldsborough said.
It’s too early to tell whether the theater’s programming will be enough to draw a significant tourist population to the city, according to Washington D.C. Convention & Tourism Corp. Director of Communications Rebecca Pawlowski.
“It’s a new attraction and a new reason to visit, so I’m sure it will appeal to certain audiences, and we’ll be glad to welcome them,” she said.
