The Bas Bleu Theatre will receive $220,000 from the Fort Collins Downtown Development Authority over the next 10 years in exchange for making its space available for free to community groups and the general public.
The 150-seat theater will be used for community seminars, meetings performances, recitals and more.
The unusual public- private partnership “will make the theater available to a broader group of users and increase the number of days it’s in operation, thereby increasing the positive economic impact on other downtown businesses,” said DDA executive director Matt Robenalt.
“I’m absolutely thrilled because this speaks to the core mission of Bas Bleu being a center for the community to come and play,” said artistic director Wendy Ishii.
Most of the funds will go toward paying down the remaining $503,000 mortgage on the historic Giddings building.
