An on-again/off-again effort to expand facilities at Phoenix Theatre Company are enthusiastically back on with the updated announcement of a $20M renovation and expansion.
Previous capital campaigns for the project were twice overtaken by events. A 2008 effort was derailed by the start of the Great Recession, and a second that started in 2017 for the troupe’s 2020 centennial was waylaid by the pandemic, even though it was never officially halted.
Despite the challenges, that campaign has raised $17M of the expected $20M cost for the expansion.
The driving vision is to expand the facility’s size and technical capabilities so the company can better attract “pre-Broadway” productions. The renovation and expansion will expand the Hormel Theatre from its current 250 seats up to 500 and increase the performance stage size and background and technical facilities.
The company hopes to finish construction in the winter of 2024. (Source)