Public Input Invited: Performing Arts Centre

The Performing Arts Centre Project, an initiative with the long-term goal of establishing a performing arts centre having fine acoustics and flexibility in uses, is inviting members of the public to participate in round table discussions that are the basis of the second phase of the project’s research.

A spokesperson said, “Phase 2 of the project, a privately funded initiative undertaken by Bermuda registered charity The Centre Limited, aims to determine what the community would like to do in such a centre, where they feel it should be located and, ultimately, what the cost of the centre is likely to be.”

“It follows a first phase that revealed the community’s desire and determination to have such a facility. The Centre Limited’s Board of Directors decided to proceed to Phase 2 of the project following consideration in April of a report titled An Appreciative Inquiry into Performing Arts in Bermuda.”

“The report reflected the results of 10 months of qualitative research in which more than 300 people – performing artists, audience members, technicians, producers and presenters -participated in one-on-one interviews and group round tables grounded in appreciative inquiry (AI), a method of discovery that moves from the premise that in any given undertaking, there are strengths that can be developed and enhanced.”

Key findings in the report on Phase 1 included:

• Far more than a physical facility, interview participants see the value of a centre as the nucleus of a sustainable performing arts “ecosystem.” They cited numerous opportunities for such a centre to offer intangible as well as tangible community benefits.
• Participants believe that when a community recognizes the cultural significance of the performing arts, it builds the human potential of its people.
• Participants expressed an urgency about nurturing personal and collective identity. Young Bermudians, in particular, described a precarious struggle for identity — “a dance on a tightrope of hope and desperation.”
• Regardless of age, race or gender, participants asserted a passionate conviction that the performing arts can play a transformative role in Bermuda’s long-term health and vitality.

Throughout the remainder of this year, the staff of The Performing Arts Centre Project will continue to use appreciative inquiry to determine what the community wants to do in, with and from a performing arts centre.

By the end of the year, it is anticipated that The Performing Arts Centre Project will have a clear understanding of what type of facility the community wants to create and use, how much it will cost and where it will be located.

Any member of the public who is interested in participating in a round table discussion should contact Tiffany Paynter or Kathy Austin at 292-4833.

The full 28-page Performing Arts Centre Project and the research findings is below:

#PerformingArtsCentre

Category: All, Entertainment