CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Shakespeare Company unveiled plans Friday for a new 19,000-square-foot community arts and education center in downtown Cincinnati.
The organization kicked off a $25 milion "For All, For All Time" campaign to fund the construction of the facility, the next chapter in its "Classical Arts Corridor."
The new center would include a new studio theater with a seating capacity of more than 150 and would be built due south of the Otto M. Budig Theater. It would feature an entirely flexible performance space that can be reimagined with new seating layouts for each production, according to a release from the organization. It would also add three multi-purpose education and community spaces supporting year-round classes, camps, rehearsals, community events and public programming, as well as expanded facilities to allow both buildings to operate as one integrated theatrical campus.
Plans for the Classical Arts Corridor were introduced in 2015.
"When we announced our new theater in 2015, we knew it was only the beginning," Producing Artistic Director and CEO Brian Isaac Phillips said. "The Otto M. Budig Theater transformed what Cincinnati Shakespeare Company could accomplish artistically."
Phillips said they now have an opportunity to build spaces where "more artists can create, more students can learn, more community partners can gather, and more audiences can experience live theatre."
"This campaign is about ensuring that theatre belongs to everyone—not just today, but for all time," he said. "For All, For All Time unlocks the next era.”
Since the Budig Theater opened in 2017, the company expanded from six to 10 productions annually. Approximately 15% of the company's patrons travel from outside the Greater Cincinnati region, they say, boosting the area's tourism economy.
The company welcomes an estimated 28,000 audience members each year, generating approximately $1 million in neighborhood spending at nearby restaurants, businesses, hotels and attractions, the release states.
Longtime patrons and donors Debby and Jim Mason have signed on to chair the campaign.
Supporters interested in learning more about the For All, For All Time campaign, making a gift, or exploring naming opportunities are encouraged to visit cincyshakes.com or contact Cincinnati Shakespeare Company.
