Lisa Rigsby Peterson, executive director of the , said there was some trepidation when the center was being built more than two years ago whether it would stay busy enough, and what kind of programming would be successful within its walls.
“I think we’ve demonstrated there is a huge pent-up demand for arts programs in the south metro Denver area with a wide variety,” Peterson said.
The arts center was built after a successful ballot initiative in 2008, in which local voters gave the city $18.5 million to build the new center.
Peterson said they filled a niche, partly left by south metro residents not wanting to hassle with parking or high-priced tickets at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. They wanted quality entertainment closer to home.
LTAC technical director Paul Ackerman said he was similarly nervous going into the first year because they didn’t have every piece of equipment he thought they’d need.
“We were able in the first year to pull off everything we wanted to at a high level,” Ackerman said.
Lone Tree resident Karol Burford has bought season tickets at the center for the past two years and finds the quality of the programs to be as professional as anything she’s seen in Denver.
“It just seemed like such an effort to go down to the Buell, so that’s why we like so much the Lone Tree Arts Center being here,” Burford said.
Another concern of Peterson was the longevity of the center and the fear it would attract only older patrons. She said that’s why they decided to become a center that wasn’t open just on the weekends, but offered programs such as Arts in the Afternoon and arts education classes like Passport to Culture and Seedlings.
“It was a little scary to take those risks at the start, but it has paid off because those audiences continue to grow,” Peterson said.
She said the programs hadn’t existed in the area, even with their friendly competitor, the Parker Arts Culture and Events Center.
Kirstin Fletcher, education programming coordinator at the Lone Tree Arts Center, said it has been difficult getting the word out about the educational programs over the last two years. She said other centers had done drama camps, but not arts education programming for preschool-aged kids.
“No matter how hard we work in promoting ourselves, it just trickles out there so slowly,” Fletcher said, “Still, we’ve grown in three years substantially and I’m so proud of that.”
The programs for kids are part of Peterson’s long-range plan to ensure a steady stream of patrons coming to enjoy the center’s shows.
“The key is to get them to want to come back and experience that and they don’t realize they’re learning something, they’re just having a good time,” Fletcher said.
Members of the Lone Tree Symphony Orchestra also were anxious before the center opened because they had performed only for free in a church and were nervous people wouldn’t come to the center to pay to hear them play, said Jacinda Bouton, musical director for the orchestra.
“We’ve been very pleasantly surprised, and are in a 500-seat theater and we’ve been able to fill it and have good audiences,” she said.
Bouton said going from a church to a concert hall meant everyone had to practice more, but they rose to that challenge.
Peterson said challenges for the future include continuing to present a season of performances that appeals to a wide variety, but a few that appeals to most like the Home for the Holidays event. She said they plan to do outreach to Development Pathways for the developmentally disabled next year, and offer more programs for those on a fixed income.
Clayton Woullard: 303-954-2671, cwoullard@denverpost.com or yhclayton
