Introducing ACT’s new partnership with PAEC – Performing Arts and Education Cooperative, Inc.
The Performing Arts and Education Cooperative (PAEC), a nonprofit organization formed by several of the Pioneer Valley’s leading community performing arts groups: Amherst Community Theater, Empowerment Through the Arts (ETTA) and The Rainbow Players, Starlight’s Youth Theatre, and Valley Light Opera, is seeking community input on a new, shared facility.
To learn if the greater Amherst community is supportive of the PAEC’s vision and need to raise funds for a new facility or the renovation of an existing space, they seek community input.
PAEC invites area residents to complete a 5-7 minute online survey to share their opinions and help guide a feasibility study to help the PAEC determine if now is the right time to move forward on this project. While completely anonymous, respondents are welcome to enter their name to win one of three theater packages.
To complete the survey, follow the link at: http://bit.ly/4perUbU (Google Form).
For questions, email PAEC.arts@gmail.com
Together, our organizations serve a diverse community that stretches across Western Massachusetts, from the Connecticut border to Vermont and New Hampshire. One of our goals has been to create a shared space which our four well-established nonprofit organizations can call home and do the behind-the-scenes work required to produce quality theater and engage the community. This facility will become an asset for regional arts enrichment; a hub of activity that will strengthen and showcase Amherst as having a vibrant art scene that provides both visibility and fresh opportunities for the community to learn about and attend productions, and teach many of the skills that can enable participation in behind-the-scenes activities related to theater performance and production.
PAEC’s long-term vision includes finding permanent, shared flexible performance and educational space that can host rehearsals, classes, workshops, community events, and smaller productions. Said PAEC vice-president and Starlight’s Youth Theater co-president, Clare Bertrand, “Over time, this shared home could become the foundation for an even larger community-supported performing arts center that serves future generations of artists, audiences, and creative organizations. By working together and sharing resources, PAEC is building more than a facility. We are creating a permanent home for creativity, education, collaboration, and community—a place where the performing arts can continue to inspire, connect, and enrich the lives of people of all ages throughout the Pioneer Valley for years to come.”
According to David Mullins, president of PAEC and veteran of Amherst Community Theater, “While our organizations have been producing high-quality work for decades, one challenge affects all of us: we do not have a permanent place in which to create. The work audiences see on stage begins long before opening night. Rehearsals, set construction, costume creation, prop building, storage, and educational programs currently take place in a patchwork of borrowed and rented spaces—schools, churches, vacant storefronts, barns, community rooms, and wherever space can be found. Although we are grateful for these partnerships, working in temporary locations creates ongoing challenges.”
A permanent home for PAEC, its member organizations and those who wish to participate in community theater offers unique possibilities. PAEC is seeking input on the potential of creating a facility that would include a Makerspace for set design and building, costume creation, a black box theater for smaller performances, a classroom and meeting place for the community to utilize, and spaces for rehearsals.
The impact of a dedicated home for our local performing arts groups would extend far beyond the organizations that use it. The arts are an important part of the Pioneer Valley’s cultural and economic vitality. Together, PAEC member organizations attract thousands of audience members each year, support local businesses, and contribute substantially to the regional economy. A permanent facility would increase the visibility of local arts organizations, attract visitors from throughout the region, support nearby restaurants and retailers, and further establish the Pioneer Valley as a destination for arts and culture. It would also provide a valuable community asset that supports education, civic engagement, and lifelong learning.
David Mullins,
President, Performing Arts and Education, Cooperative, Inc.
Board Chair, Amherst Community Theater
PAEC-arts.org
PAEC.arts@gmail.com
chair@amherstacts.org
413-348-1300