Memo PH Arts Assessment Report
. CITY OF HOPKINS
MEMORANDUM
DATE: February 10, 1994
TO: Honora~l.7' ray or and City Council
H 1, \ . 't 1 .
FROM: Torn armenlng, Communl y Deve opment Dlrector
SUBJECT: PUBLIC HEARING - FOCUS GROUP/ARTS ASSESSMENT REPORT
On December 21 the city council authorized undertaking a public
opinion/arts assessment process regarding the proposed arts
facility and grocery store project. This work was to be
completed with the assistance of Decision Resources and Resources
and Counseling for the Arts. The goals of the process were as
follows:
o Serve as a response to the petition submitted to the
~ city Council requesting a referendum.
o Gauge public opinion regarding the construction of an
arts related facility and grocery store project.
Determine existing perceptions or areas of concern
regarding said projects.
o Gather data on arts related issues or needs.
Attached is a report from Barbara Davis, with Resources and
Counseling for the Arts, which outlines her findings of the arts
assessment which she has undertaken. In conjunction with Ms.
Davis activities, the Hopkins Area Arts Association and city
staff have also undertaken various activities to supplement the
information provided by Ms. Davis. These findings will be
presented during the public hearing.
Bill Morris, with Decision Resources, has been undertaking a
series of focus groups as a means to gauge public opinion
regarding the arts facility project and the grocery store
project. The last focus group was held on Thursday, February 10.
As a result, no report is available at this time. If a report
should become available prior to the City council meeting, staff
will attempt to deliver it to the Council. Otherwise, the report
will be presented during the public hearing on February 15.
. As .a reminder, Mr. Morris conducted a number of focus groups.
These included:
- - -..
Honorable Mayor and city council
Page 2
. 0 A focus group with persons randomly selected from the
petition which was submitted.
0 Two focus groups with the business community.
Initially, only one focus group was intended to be held
with the business community. However, it was decided
that for various reasons a second focus group should be
held.
0 Three focus groups with residents randomly selected
from the community. Again, only two focus groups were
proposed to be held with randomly selected residents.
However, due to a poor showing at one of these focus
groups, it was decided that an additional one should be
conducted. Please note that these additional focus
groups were undertaken by Decision Resources at no cost
to the city other than for refreshments and other
similar miscellaneous expenses.
staff would like to suggest the following process be undertaken
during the Council meeting to disseminate the information which
has been compiled.
0 Presentation by Barbara Davis on the findings of her
arts assessment. In addition, staff would like to
. suggest it be allowed to present its findings of a
survey which it undertook of area arts associations or
artists. Also, the Hopkins Area Arts Association has
information which it would like to present as well
regarding arts needs or interests in the community.
0 Bill Morris with Decision Resources would present the
findings of the focus groups.
0 A brief question and answer session with the city
Council.
0 Open up public hearing to accept additional input,
testimony or questions.
staff is not anticipating that the city Council will be asked to
make any decisions at the conclusion of the public hearing on
February 15.
TH02104B
.
.:'
. Outside Users for a Hopkins Arts Center
A Report Prepared for the City of Hopkins
by Resources and Counseling for tile Arts
Barbara H. Davis, Consultant
January 31, 1994
Introduction
On December 8, 1993, Resources and Counseling for the Arts submitted a proposal to the
city of Hopkins for a survey of the space needs of potential"outside" users of a possible
arts center in Hopkins. The communities to be surveyed included area arts groups, school
groups, and business and community groups.
The proposal was subsequently accepted by the city council and work began on
December 21.
I conducted individual, in-person interviews with seven people:
. Larry Kelso, co-director of the Hopkins Raspberry Festival
. Mark Miller, chairman of the Neighborhood Advisory Board
. Mark Kinnich, Human Resources Development Director, Alliant Techsystems
. Susan Newville, Hopkins Activity Center
. Marianne Simons, Minnetonka Dance Theatre and School
. . Betty Johnson and Roger Hoel, Minnetonka Orchestral Association
. Ann Larsen, Minnetonka Center for the Arts
I scheduled an interview with Mark Senn, president of the Hopkins Business and
Commerce Association, but it was cancelled due to bad weather and could not be
rescheduled in time for this report. Subsequent phone calls failed to reach him.
I also conducted shorter phone interviews with ten additional people:
unidentified staff person, American School of Russian Classical Ballet
. Randy Bourne, artistic director, Lyra Concert, a nonprofit music group
. Mark Ellenberger, managing director, Ex Machina, a nonprofit music group
. Bill Erickson, manager, Music Studios of Jan Erickson, a for-profit music school
. Jim Field, manager, Mouldy Figs Jazz Band, a for-profit music group
. Tammy Laska, human resources department, Super Valu
. Doug McClure, principal, Blake School
. Marv Miller, owner, Dance Shoppe, a for-profit dance school
. Carol Sirrine, fine arts coordinator, Independent School District 270
. Donna Ti1sner, park and recreation department, City of Hopkins
In addition, and not covered by the initial contract, I developed a written survey the city
planning department could send to arts organizations throughout the metro area, and
provided mailing labels to be used in the meeting.
The following report contains:
. recommendations concerning space and equipment, identification of primary user
. markets, and information on space pricing at institutions competing for the same
market
. summaries of the seven in-person interviews
. summaries of the ten phone interviews
.-
. . for comparative purposes, information on fees charged by three inner-city performing
arts facilities: the Ordway Music Theater and Landmark Center in downtown Saint
Paul; the Southern Theater and the Cedar Cultural Center, both on Minneapolis' West
Bank; and the Hennepin Center for the Arts in downtown Minneapolis
. a copy of the interview format used for in-person interviews
.
,
,
.
. Recommendations
and Comments
Theater seating size:
Tricky issue. Five hundred is probably the minimum for any multiple use at all. That
could handle the smaller Raspberry Festival events, the Alliant Tech quarterly meeting,
the spring Mtka Dance concerts, etc. One music group said there is a rea1lack of
performing space seating between 400 and 600, but plenty of larger halls that few can
afford to appear in.
There is interest in increasing the theater seating to 750 or even 1,000. That would make
it too big for smaller arts activities, and possibly for Child's Play, but large enough for
dance school recitals, Minnetonka Dance's nutcracker, the bigger Raspberry Festival
events.
If you go with a larger size, I like the idea of a balcony for some of the seating; which
means that a smaller crowd could fill the main floor and it would still feel "full".
Multiple uses of theater:
As one person said, "A theater is not a recital hall." The Minnetonka Orchestra people
also emphasized that. Theater lighting, acoustics, even paint color are not good for
music. If you want to have a space good for theater and music, you need to pay special
attention to acoustics, and make it possible to adapt a proscenium space with a shell or
some kind of wall that could be lowered so it was right behind the musicians.
. One contact recommended D. Michael Shields, who works for Ampria Research and
Design in the Twin Cities. He is not an acoustician, but can give good practical advice.
The same source recommended against Larry Kirkegaard, an acoustician working out of
Chicago who has consulted on several local halls. My source said he has been "the kiss
of death for any hall he's touched." Just one person's opinion, of course.
Technical capability: .
In the theater, in addition to standard theater lighting and sound, you need microphones,
big screen projection capability for overheads, slides, etc., if you want to attract
businesses. Video equipment would be nice but not essential. There should also be
somebody on-site during rentals to handle technical difficulties.
If you want to have music perfOImances, you probably need a 9-foot grand piano.
In "dry" classrooms, you need black- or white-board space, flip charts, overhead projector
and a screen for overheads or slides.
Having all this equipment around means security has to be pretty good, or your
equipment will walk off pretty fast.
Catering:
Some interview subjects suggested an in-house food service. I think that would be a
nightmare, unless you wanted to actually have a restaurant operating there. (Is that a
. downtown need'?) But there should be a kitchen or serving facility that could be used by
outside caterers. Important to get professional input on that.
Dance studio space (two studios):
-----
e Clearly required if you want to get Minnetonka Dance Company as a major tenant. (See
Marianne Simons interview for specific requirements.) They would probably keep both
studios busy most of the time except possibly in the summer. There might be seasonal
demand for rehearsal by for-profit dance schools. (See Marv Miller interview.) Public
schools might also want to use studios. (Morning use would be possible here, as it
wouldn't conflict with Minnetonka's class schedule so much.)
Dance studio space is quite specialized and couldn't be used for anything else. Probably
any studio space should be controlled by Minnetonka; they could sublease as time was
available.
Workshop/classroom space
There is an important distinction between "clean" classroom space and "dirty" classroom
space. The two won't mix.
The latter is what the schools want - sinks, tile floors, storage space for art supplies and
projects-in-progress and a general "funkiness". Such space could also be used by the
kind of groups Susan Newville described -- an ongoing painting group, for instance -- and
by community education classes. You could probably keep at least one -- maybe two --
busy all the time.
The former is what a group like Alliant Tech would want for its training sessions --
carpeted, tidy, relatively bland -- a neutral backdrop for lectures, discussions and work
seSSlOns. You might want two, of different sizes -- one to hold 25 to 35 people with
. tables and chairs, another for smaller gatherings with a "living room" setting.
Meeting space:
Strong need here - probably even stronger than we know, going by what Ann Larsen said.
Meeting space could double as "clean" classroom space.
Gallery space:
There would be many potential users for a community gallery space, which could double
as a theater lobby. Security would be an issue. Also, somebody would have to take on
the responsibility of lining up an annual schedule of exhibits. There would probably be
no lack of applicants: in addition to individual artists, there would be various collectors
(dolls, stamps, coins -- you name it), historical organizations, and art clubs. Also, the
public schools would probably want time for student and faculty shows.
Such a space, especially if it had natural light and was near a catering space, would also
be attractive for private receptions, weddings and the like. This market was not explored
as part of my project.
Projections of demand by outside users:
. There would probably be a steady demand for basic meeting space at a low cost.
. Alliam Techsystems seems to promise steady use and good pay, especially for
meeting space, but only as long as their current space situation holds. If they cut
more staff, thus freeing space in their Hopkins facility, they would undoubtedly pull
their trainings in-house, leaving only the quarterly managers meeting off-site.
. The school district has a strong interest in using a lot of classroom space and time
over a long period, as well as periodic theater space. The wild card here is possible
. changes in school arts funding. Carol Sirrine told me her position has just been cut;
this does not seem to bode well for strong arts funding in the school district.
. The Raspberry Festival would probably be a steady user and a good payer, but of
course only for a brief period each year.
e . Nonprofit arts users for the theater space would depend heavily on how much you
charged. There are not many arts groups which can afford much more than, say, $100
a performance.
. There is probably a market for private receptions and parties. These are thriving
markets for Landmark Center and the Minnesota History Center, for example.
Price:
Primary competitors seem to be:
. area high school auditoriums (for Minnetonka Dance, for-profit dance schools,
Child's Play Theatre)
. hotels (Marriott, Holiday Inn, Sheraton Park Place) (for Raspberry Festival events and
Alliant Techsystems meetings and workshops)
. churches (for music groups including the Minnetonka Orchestral Association, Ex
Machina, Lyra Consort, the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra and even the Saint
Paul Chamber Orchestra sometimes)
What the competition charges:
High school auditorium charges vary. Here are some samples:
. Wayzata High School: $25/hour for rehearsal and performance (according to
Marianne Simons)
. Hopkins Senior High School: $35/hour nonprofit; $701hour for-profit. Custodial fees
after 10:30 pm.
. Columbia Heights High School: $40lhour nonprofit; $ 125/hour for-profit. Custodial
fees after 11: 30 pm
. Edina High School: $500/event at the senior high; $300/event at the junior high.
. Custodial charges additional.
. Robbinsdale High School: $90.23/hour for nonprofit and for-profit. Custodial fees
after 10:30 pm.
Hotels:
. Sheraton Park Place: meeting room free with catered dinner or lunch. Otherwise, for
100 people, $300 all day and $150 half day
. Marriott Southwest: meeting room free with catered event. Otherwise, for 50 people,
$275 all day, $150 half day.
Smaller churches are charging "a couple hundred donars" for a dress rehearsal and
performance. The larger ones (seating 400 to 600) are charging between $150 to $250 for
the same thing. There are exceptions, of course, on both ends of the price spectrum. i
I
There are plenty of potential users who could afford to pay little or nothing. You would
have to determine under what circumstances space would be given away.
.
. Betty Johnson (board chair) and Roger Hoel (music director): Minnetonka
Orchestral Association
Current situation
80 performances a year, 13 rehearsals a week. Summer schedule is lighter. Only classes
and workshops are during an annual summer festival. Only m meeting is annual meeting.
Now performing at shopping centers, churches, Minnetonka city hall, Minnetonka High,
Plymouth outdoor amphitheater, nursing homes. Meetings and classes at Minnetonka
city hall.
All spaces are usually free; sometimes have to pay $30 to $70 for custodial help. The
city has waived space use fee in the past.
Sometimes the performance sites are too small for the orchestra. Acoustics and lighting
not always good at churches; hard for musicians to see scores. The orchestra sometimes
brings its own stand-lights. The spaces rarely have dressing rooms.
Hauling equipment (risers, music stands, etc) can be a drag.
Minnetonka City Hall is adequate and comfortable. They don't want to jeopardize the
Minnetonka connection, since it means $25,000 a year to them.
Ideally, they would like to have a fairly regular "home" and alternate programs home and
tit away.
Their ideal space
Wauld seat 500-700; would have good acoustics for music (which is different from what
theater needs). If there's t1y space, would need a shell so the sound doesn't go straight up.
A curtain backdrop absorbs sound, which is also bad for music. Stage should
accommodate 160 people (chorus and orchestra) which is probably too big for theater.
Lighting should come straight down, so it doesn't get in players' eyes.
It would have adequate heat for instruments. Wouldn't have black theater paint which is
bad for music. There would be a loading dock accessible to the stage. There would be a
grand piano.
They need to schedule one year in advance. They don't need ticketing or other services. I
;
Would they use a new Hopkins space?
Maybe a couple of times during the school year. The orchestra plays Friday, Saturday,
Sunday, both matinee (3:30 pm) and evening. Some of their groups perform on
weekdays.
Price
Even a $75 fee would be high -- "more than we've paid anywhere in our history". "We're
an anomaly. So many costs are waived because we're a community organization."
Other comments
They added that they thought Hopkins or Eden Prairie or Minnetonka would probably
e build an arts center sometime in the next five to ten years, and whichever city does would
"get on the map" culturally.
. Larry Kelso, Raspberry Festival
Current situation
The festival puts on several events that might be appropriate to have in a new arts space:
. Queen's Coronation, reception and ball. Thursday evening in July. Have been
holding at Minnetonka Marriott -- $7,000 for space and food. 800 seats last year,
need 1,000.
. Variety Show. Monday evening in July. Have been holding at Eisenhower Little
Theatre. Had 300+ seats last year; need 500.
. Junior Coronation, weekday evening in July. Have been holding at Holiday Inn;
paying $3,000 for space and food. Need space for 500 people.
. Outdoor events (style show, junior picnic, music in the park): could use an arts center
as bad weather back-up space.
Altogether, the Festival could conceivably have seven evenings events and one morning
event in the art center..
What should be in the art center
Scheduling: They need to schedule 6-7 months in advance.
Equipment: Ability to project slides on a rear screen.
- Services: None needed. They bring in their own technicians.
Outside Services: The space should have its own food service.
Other comments:
The Raspberry Festival, as well as the JayCees, the Rotary and other community groups,
in addition to being potential art center users, might also be potential financial supporters
- not only for the capital campaign to get the center built, but also for ongoing operating
support.
!
.
-.-
. Mark Kinnich, Human Resource Development Director, Alliant Tech Systems
Current situation
They have just consolidated their four metro sites down to two. They used to have
enough space in their own buildings for most meeting needs, but now they are jammed.
They have one auditorium which holds 150 people theater-style, and a conference room
holding 16.
Their first choice for space is always their own space, but they may not have that for the
foreseeable future.
Training events: ten courses (most lasting one to two days) are given four times each
annually. Usually about 20 people a session. These will be held more and more outside
the building, since the auditorium is not appropriate, and the conference room is often
booked. Sessions are weekdays, except for an occasional Friday-Saturday, during regular
working hours, with an occasional extension into the evening. They run nothing between
Thanksgiving and Christmas and fewer in the summer.
Meetings: quarterly management meeting drawing 400 people. Now having it in a hotel
ballroom.
What they would like in a new space: .
. A classroom accommodating 20 people or so, with movable chairs and tables
. A separate "living room arrangement" (couches, easy chairs, etc.) for smaller and
- more informal "team building" sessions.
. Theater space holding 400 for quarterly meetings. The big meeting needs good sound
system, either videotaping capability or space for them to bring equipment in, a big
overhead (run from a light booth), controlled access (i.e., no outsiders tromping
through)
. Somebody on site to fix any technology that goes wrong.
. Provision of coffee and snacks. (They would go to surrounding restaurants for
lunch).
. One person to talk to who can handle all arrangements.
The price would have to be competitive with the places they're using now (Holiday Inn
and Sheraton Park Place). Holiday Inn is now charging $800 for two days for twenty
people, including all space, lunch and snacks-coffee. I
!
.
-.-- "------
. Ann Larsen, executive director, Minnetonka Center for the Arts
They are not interested in using such a space. They will be remodeling and expanding
their own space (a 1950s elementary school) if they can raise the money. They are not
interested in doing programming off-site. "We don't have adequate staff to cover our
own building."
Other comments
She thinks there would be strong interest in a community gallery space. She said that
while they do about eight exhibits a year in their main gallery, they only have room for
two by artists outside their own membership and faculty. They get many more proposals
for exhibits than they can handle -- i.e., they get about 50 a year, and they can only do
two.
She also noted that many outside groups call them looking for meeting space. Also they
get at least one call a week from an outside group that wants to get permanent space at the
Center.
Many people call them looking for music and performing arts for their kids.
e
e
..--- ----
. Interview with Mike Miller of Neighborhood Advisory Board
(He said he would send me a list of neighborhood organizations but I didn't get it until
1/31/94.)
The advisory board has no use for the space per se; we talked about neighborhood groups
in general.
In addition to Raspberry Festival. he thought Main Street Days and Heritage Days would
use such a space.
His opinions:
. Downtown lacks a main draw.
. Downtown also lacks a good meeting space for groups over 100. Schools are not
appropriate often, and restaurants aren't large enough.
. "A space[1ike that] could inspire more creative activities among community groups."
e
.
. Susan Newville, Hopkins Activity Center
Current situation
Offers 35-40 classes a year, involving 5 to 25 people in each.
Also has many regular groups that meet there, weekly, bi-weekly or monthly.
Performance groups include a square dance group which performs at community events,
and "Showbiz Seniors" and "Jazzberries" - both dance groups that rehearse at the Activity
Center and perform at community events.
They also offer recreational basketball and volleyball, and a Friday evening teen center.
In February they are having a second annual variety show.
Space needs
Their primary need is space for one-shot or short-running activities, since most of their
space is used by ongoing, regularly meeting groups.
There are many arts activities they'd like to do, but they are limited by space and
personnel. Most of their programs are no-cost or low-cost. It's up to the participants to
keep them going. "We'd love to see the seniors get more involved in the arts," though it
would take a while to get a group together and active.
A painting studio would be popular, if the space were free. She could get an ongoing
. group to use it.
Cost issues
Any cost at all would be a barrier for her. She cited the ice arena as an example of a city
facility that won't let another city department use it for free. She thinks there should be
space reciprocity within city departments. If she could get access free to an arts center,
she could do things in it.
.
. Marianne Simons, artistic director, Minnetonka Dance Theatre and School
Current situation
They have 300 students who take classes in II-week sessions. They use two studios and
keep them busy for classes and rehearsals pretty much all the time. Classes are mostly on
Saturday (all day) and weekdays from after school until 9 pm. There are also some adult
afternoon classes. Sunday they have rehearsals all day.
They present an annual Nutcracker. This year it was at Wayzata High and drew 2800
people in three performances.
They also present two performances of a spring concert, which draws a considerably
smaller crowd.
Wayzata High is a satisfactory venue. The auditorium has a fifty foot proscenium and ten
foot wings. The space is well kept up. They are charged $25 an hour and are asked to
hire some students for the crew. She notes that they aren't charged for all the actual hours
they spend there - just for actual performance and rehearsal time. This makes the price
even better.
Her interest in a new performing space
The new theater space would be fine for their spring concerts. (Assuming the floor is
adequate, of course.)
. She would like to do Nutcracker there too, but says 750 seats would be better for that, and
also the stage size might not be big enough. Nutcracker has at times 67 people on stage,
plus a number of backstage volunteers.
They would provide their own light and sound technicians. They don't need ticketing
services, as they use The Connection and do the rest out of their own office.
As for classes and rehearsals:
Obviously, they need two studios (what they are using now), and probably a third within
a few years. Their current studios are 30' x 66' and 21' x 60'. Each studio needs mirrors
and barres. Floors are critical in any dance space. The floor in their larger studio is a
"basket weave" and this is much preferable to the more traditional sprung floor. She is
unclear on whether the city would pay for these features, or if she would have to pay for
them herself.
She would also like office space, storage space for costumes (they would continue to !
store sets elsewhere) and dressing rooms with hooks and benches. Lockers would be nice I
i
but not necessary. Showers are not essential.
.
-'-
. Short phone interviews (5 to 15 minutes)
American School of Russian Classical Ballet
Their studio is in Robbinsdale, and they usually use space at one of the school buildings
in ISD 281. Wouldn't be interested.
Randy Bourne, artistic director, Lyra Consort
They perform in larger churches (seating 400 to 600) and pay between $150 and $250 for
a dress rehearsal and performance. He would be very interested in a secular space seating
about that many which could be rented for $500 or under for dress rehearsal and
performance. They already play in Edina so know they could attract an audience in the
western suburbs.
Mark Ellenberger, managing director, Ex Machina
I called strictly to check out renting music performing space in churches. Most smaller
churches charge "a couple of hundred" for a dress rehearsal and performance.
Bill Erickson, manager, Music Studios of Jan Erickson and former board treasurer,
Frederick Chopin Society
The Ericksans have studios in Eden Prairie, Minnetonka and Plymouth, employing forty-
five teachers and reaching 700 to 800 students. They expect over 1.000 students by next
September.
They have several recitals yearly, by both students and faculty. They hold virtually all of
them in a small recital space in their Eden Prairie site, which can handle about sixty
. people. In the past, before they had their own recital space, they rented space in places
like Ridgedale community center, Hopkins High School auditorium and Hendricks Piano
in Edina.
Currently, their own space "does the job for us" and they are not inclined to rent outside.
However, there's a need for a good recital space in the western suburbs. He said the
Chopin Society used to have members from west metro, but they dropped out because, in
Erickson's opinion, the Society never had performances in their neighborhoods.
He added that a good recital hall should have a 9' grand piano, which costs about
$50,000.
Jim Field, Mouldy Figs Jazz Band
They only play when hired by someone else; they do not self-produce. Space always
comes with the gig, so they don't need any space. This is probably the case with most i
other "entertainers" in the area.
Tammy Laska, human resources, Super Valu, Minneapolis headquarters (Hopkins):
they do all employee training in-house, either at the Hopkins facility or at the corporate
headquarters in Eden Prairie.
Doug McClureJ principal, Blake School: they don't need more space. Have two 400-
seat auditoriums already.
.
. Marv Miller, Dance Shoppe
They have studios in Maple Grove and Plymouth, serving 1600 students. They present
11 shows annually and need a space with 850 to 1,000 seats. Here are some facts he
passed on about private dance schools:
. all of them have recitals, usually the first half of June
. there is great competition to find perfonning space at the various high schools for
these shows, because they're all happening at once
. you can figure five to six tickets per student.
. most area dance schools have between 200 and 500 students; that means 1,000 to
3,000 people coming to recitals for each school
. a 500-seat theater is too small for all but the smallest dance schools (150 students or
less), since it means having to do too many repeat performances to fit everybody in
He added that many of the schools have smaller perfonning groups who appear in
parades and enter competitions, etc. All of them need rehearsal time, usually in January,
February and March. This is hard to find, because their own studios are full with classes.
He thinks a dance studio, 60' x 40', would be in great demand for rehearsal use during that
part of the year.
Carol Sirrine, fine arts coordinator, ISD 270, in addition to written recommendations
already transmitted to the city
There are a number of performing groups within the school district:
. the high school has three choirs, two bands and an orchestra
. . each of the two junior highs has a choir, a band and an orchestra
. none of the seven elementary schools has any ongoing groups, but there are often
annual performing arts events featuring the older students.
Perhaps twenty performances annually among all the school buildings. They now present
them in their own buildings. They would be interested in doing at least some of them in a
Hopkins facility, especially if it were nicer or better equipped (or better suited size-
wise)than their own spaces.
Regarding classroom and exhibit space:
The school would lease up to two art classrooms for regular use - perhaps $50,000
annually. The schools would use them perhaps three days a week, so there would be
weekday time in those spaces for other groups' use, as well as evening hours. See her
December 3, 1993, letter for specifics about physical lay-out and equipment.
Donna Tilsner, park and recreation department, City of Hopkins
The only additional space they need is gym space. They do periodic classes of an artsy-
craftsy nature (flower arranging, etc.) that might be appropriate for a classroom space in
the arts center. They also have periodic meetings -- an annual "warming house I
orientation" and weekly "playground leaders" meetings. They now have them in
Minnetonka because space is available there, but if there were appropriate space in
Hopkins, they could alternate. She didn't say this, but I think it is a given -- they wouldn't
want to pay for space.
.
. - ----
. Performing arts spaces
rental rate information collected January 1994
Facility Size Weekly rate Daily rate
Southern Theatre, 150 $1,000 - $1,100 Th-Su - $300/night
West Bank of Mo-We - $150-200
Minneapolis
(includes a box
office person and
use of light/sound
equipment)
Ordway's McKnight 376 weekly: multiply $720/night
Theatre, downtown nightly
Saint Paul
(no staff assistance
included)
Ordway rehearsal variable - up to 75, $50/hour
rooms depending on use
Hennepin Center for 159 $525 vanes
the Arts: Little
Theater (downtown
Minneapolis)
. Hennepin Center for 376 $900-1200 varIes
the Arts: 8th Floor
Theater
Landmark Center: 123 -$SO/hour
auditorium (nonprofit rates)
(downtown Saint
Paul)
Landmark Center: varies - up to 100, $25/hr days
courtooms depending on use $50/hr eves/wknds
(nonprofit rates)
Cedar Cultural 450 $450/night Fr & Sa
Center (6.5 hrs $50 for addl
(Minneapolis' West hour)
Bank district)
Su- Th $250-$300
$IS0/night for PA &
tech
lobby - separately
for weekday on
sliding scale
between $40 and
$100/hour
.
. --
. Interview fonnat:
Introd uction:
The city of Hopkins, working with a new nonprofit Hopkins arts council, is considering
building an arts center in downtown Hopkins. The purposes of the project are to:
. Serve as a draw and stimulate additional development in downtown Hopkins
. Provide for a cultural center in the comunity
. Serve as the primary home for some of the area's arts organizations
Almost everything about the project is tentative right now, but a few things are likely:
. it is likely that the facility would be on the old Suburban Chevrolet site at Main and
11th
. it is likely that the facility would include a theater, with a stage and seating for around
500 to 750, and possibly classroom, meeting and exhibition space
. it is proposed that the money for the project would come from private contributions
and non-property tax financing secured by the city of Hopkins
. . it is likely that two established arts groups would be the primary tenants
. there will be space and time in the building allotted to other community and arts uses.
I have been asked by the city of Hopkins to talk to groups which might want to use the
arts center for their activities.
We are considering six types of activities that might take place in the arts center:
. perfonnances (dance, music, theater)
. media presentations (film and video)
. lectures and readings
. exhibits
. classes, workshops and seminars
. meetings
[Give subject a card with these six items printed on it.]
.
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. QUESTIONS:
1. How often, during a typical year, does your organization put on events like these:
. performances (dance, music, theater)
. media presentations (film and video)
. lectures and readings
. exhibits
. classes and workshops
. meetings
2. What facilities do you now use for these events:
. performances (dance, music, theater)
. media presentations (film and video)
. . lectures and readings
. exhibits
. classes and workshops
. meetings
.
. 3. Are your current facilities adequate? If not, how are they inadequate?Please consider
these issues [give subject a card with the following listed].
. location
. size
. cost
. equipment/technical capabilities such as sound and lighting
. access to specialized space such as dressing rooms, wing space, fly space
. sched uling! a vailabili ty
. . services such as ticketing, cleaning, light and sound technicians
. access to outside services such as catering
. general atmosphere
.
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. 4. What kinds of additional or different space would be attractive to you? Please
consider the same issues.
. location
. SIze
. cost
. equipmentftechnical capabilities such as sound and lighting
. access to specialized space such as dressing rooms, wing space, fly space
. sched ulingl availability
.
. services such as ticketing, cleaning, light and sound technicians
. access to outside services such as catering
. general atmosphere
.
"---
. EXPLORE THIS THOROUGHLY
5. How often during a typical year would you use such a space?
Is there a particular time of year that you would use such a space most?
A particular day of the week?
A particular time of day?
If such a space were to become available, how soon might you wish to begin using it?
. 6. Here is one possible schedule of costs [give subject schedule A]. How do they strike
you? [If answer is "high", give schedule B; if still "high", schedule C.]
I
!
7. Who else should I talk to?
That's the end of the questions I have. Do you have anything else you'd like to say?
Thanks for your time.
.
.
. SAMPLE PRICE SCHEDULE A
Type of space Cost Notes
Theater seating 350-500 $5,OOO/week; $720/day_ Includes use of all sound
people. Includes dressing and lighting equipment, but
rooms, wing and fly space. a technician to run them
costs extra and is required.
Meetlng!trainln~ room $50/hour Includes use of A V
seating up to 25 people. equipment. Equipped with
tables and chairs. Any food
service is extra. Charge for
guard if after hours.
Meetin g/rehearsal $lOO/hour; $500/day; Has sprung noor and mirror
room/dance studio. Will $3,OOO/week (which can be covered).
I seat up to 75 people. Includes use of A V
equipment. Can be
equipped with tables and
chairs, free of charge. Any
food service is extra.
Charge for guard if after
hours.
.
.
.--
.
. SAMPLE PRICE SCHEDULE B
Type of space Cost Notes
Theater seating 350-500 $2,500/week; $500/day. Includes use of all sound
people. Includes dressing and lighting equipment, but
rooms, wing and fly space. a technician to run them
costs extra and is required.
Meetinwtrainin~ room $5G/hour evenings & Includes use of A V
seating up to 25 people. weekends; $25/hour equipment. Equipped with
weekdays tables and chairs. Any food
service is extra. Charge for
guard if after hours.
Meeting/rehearsal $75/hour; $300/day; Has sprung t100r and mirror
room/dance studio. Will $l,SOD/week (which can be covered).
seat up to 75 people. Includes use of A V
equipment. Can be
equipped with tables and
chairs, free of charge. Any
food service is extra.
Charge for guard if after
hours.
.
.
----
. SAMPLE PRICE SCHEDULE C
Type of space Cost Notes
Theater seating 350-500 $l,OOO/week; $300/day for Includes use of all sound
people. Includes dressing Thursday-Sunday; $150/day and lighting equipment, but
rooms, wing and fly space. for Monday-Wednesday. a technician to run them
costs extra and is required.
Meeting/training foam $25/hour Includes use of A V
seating up to 25 people. equipment. Equipped with
tables and chairs. Any food
service is extra. Charge for
guard if after hours.
Meeting/rehearsal $40/hour; $ lOG/day; Has sprung noor and mirror
room/dance studio. Will $525/week (which can be covered).
seat up to 75 people. Includes use of A V
equipment. Can be
equipped with tables and
chairs, free of charge. Any
food service is extra.
Charge for guard if after
hours.
.
.
..--