History

The Lakewood Theatre Company is a popular and financially successful member of the arts community, it is the cornerstone around which Lakewood Center has been built. Lakewood Theatre Company began in November, 1952, when a group of Lake Oswego residents decided that their community was not complete without a theatre and decided to organize what was known as the Oswego Players. From that first production of Blithe Spirit, the players performed in junior and senior high schools and halls throughout the Lake Oswego area, having no permanent home during its first nine years.

In 1961, a fund drive was launched that led to the purchase of a vacant Methodist church on Greenwood Road. Beginning with Arsenic and Old Lace, the company, then known as Lake Oswego Community Theatre, staged more than 110 productions there before they outgrew the facility. By then the I00 seat theatre was continuously sold out, the building provided no room for class and rehearsal space, and off-stage storage was extremely limited.

When the Lakewood School became available in 1979, an advisory task force determined that acquiring the building would encourage people to learn, teach, display and, above all, participate in the arts. With this in mind, the Lakewood Theatre Company nonprofit corporation decided to expand its purposes and became the Lakewood Center for the Arts.

A $1.1 million capital fund was established to purchase and renovate the school and put programs on line. After eight years, in 1987, the goal was realized and the final payment was made to the school board. The funds came from individuals, businesses, corporations, foundations and civic groups. None of the money came from city, state or federal sources.

In the fall of 1990 the theatre company changed its name from Lake Oswego Community Theatre to Lakewood Theatre Company. The name change was instituted to more closely identify the theatre with the programs at the Center and its mission of providing high quality entertainment and education.

Operations

The Center is run by an elected board of directors made up of community leaders, legal, business and arts professionals, and a small staff which includes Executive Director Andrew Edwards, Executive Producer Kay Vega, a technical director, costumer, and office workers.

The key to operating the Center, however, is the support of volunteers. According to Edwards, 300-400 volunteers are needed to make things work, in all areas from office work to the daily running of the individual organizations to the physical labor that went into renovating the building.

Composition

Lakewood Theatre Company is the oldest and best known of the tenants, and key to the Center's financial success. The new theatre space was completed in two months in the former gymnasium, providing 196 seats, none of which are more than 21 feet from the stage nor less than 12 inches above the seat in front. Theatre experts were consulted in the planning, which included innovations such as rotating two-sided backdrops and a unique sound system. Moving from a I00 seat theatre to 196 seats presented the theatre with a marketing challenge, yet it continues an 80% sell out rate, mostly from subscription packages.

Other tenants at the Center include the Dance Studio, home of classes in Dance aerobics, exercise, and ballet; tap, and jazz by Terry Brock; Lakewood Center Gallery, a regional display and sales gallery of art work in our main foyer; the Community Arts preschool, offering 3 and 4 year olds a program enriched with art and dance; the Children's Theatre, a small studio theatre used for productions and classes; and the Children's Art Studio, offering display space for art and classroom space for short term use. The Piano and Organ studio provides space for music lessons taught by Kay Vega and houses the Center's organ and grand piano. Reruns-Second hand Treasures, is a resale shop originated and staffed by the Lakewood Associates, a support auxiliary of the Center. Volunteers collect donated merchandise and resell them to the public. The proceeds are used to renovate and improve the building.

Downstairs is the Community Meeting Room, sponsored by an $80,000 renovation grant from the Lake Oswego Rotary Club. The hall seats up to 150 people for wedding receptions, banquets, cabaret theatre, conferences, and Rotary luncheons. Also downstairs is the Costume Workroom, providing storage and workspace for Lakewood Theatre Company productions.

Events

An annual June event at the Center is the Festival of the Arts. This citywide celebration is sponsored by the Lakewood Center, the Chamber of Commerce, and the City of Lake Oswego Parks and Recreation Department. More than I8,000 people attend performances at the Center and the park and view more than 900 pieces of artwork.

Funding

Fundraising is a continuing activity realized through contributions, gifts-in-kind, special projects, and the proceeds of the resale shop, The combined operating budget for the Lakewood Theatre Company and Lakewood Center is $650,000 per year. Income from ticket sales, fees, classes, room rentals, and special events cover about 70% of total expenses, an unusually high percentage for arts centers by national standards. The balance comes from contributions. The Lakewood Theatre Company and Lakewood Center is a 501 (c)3 not for profit, tax exempt organization and contributions are tax deductible to the extent provided by law.