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New Partnership For Newhall School District And Canyon Theatre Guild |
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The auditorium at Newhall School was converted to a warehouse space for
the Newhall School District over 20 years ago. The district was able to
purchase a new warehouse eight years ago and the auditorium space has
stood virtually unused ever since. Newhall School has a typical
multi-purpose room and the auditorium was not a priority for
restoration when the school was modernized. So the facility, built in
the 1940s and once was used by William S. Hart to screen western
movies, has been long underused because it is far from being a viable
performance space. The seats are gone, bathrooms do not operate, and
electrical service can only provide minimum service.
For the past ten years the Newhall School District has partnered with
Theatre Arts For Children (TAC), a non-profit arts group, with the goal
of restoring the Newhall School auditorium for use by children in the
Santa Clarita Valley. TAC was able to bring the auditorium up to
current seismic standards, clean the facility, and install basic
fire/life/safety elements that resulted in a certificate of occupancy
and the ability for the space to be used for some limited arts
programming. TAC also hosted other local arts organizations as they
used the space for programming and production support. The Newhall
School District appreciates their efforts.
But members of TAC realized that the next step – complete renovation of
the facility that would allow its use as a viable auditorium space -
was beyond their reach. Therefore the Governing Board of nsd sought out
other arts organizations that were willing to partner with the district
for the restoration and use of the defunct auditorium.
Enter the Canyon Theatre Guild (CTG) – Santa Clarita’s long time,
vibrant community theatre group that operates a three hundred seat
theatre on Main Street in Downtown Newhall. CTG has long desired to
create a theatre group devoted solely to children’s theatre and the
involvement of local children in the dramatic arts. After discussions
with the leadership of nsd, a new lease agreement includes elements of
renovation, exclusive use, and joint use of the space. In return for
significant upgrades and use of the space, CTG will fund raise,
supervise construction, and ultimately produce child-oriented
performances in the space.
"The Canyon Theatre Guild is excited to be collaborating with the
Newhall School District to create a beautiful, new theatre space to
serve the young people and families of Santa Clarita.,” said TimBen
Boydston, Executive and Artistic Director of CTG. “We know that Santa
Clarita is a strong and vibrant community, due in a large part to the
number of families that call the SCV home. We look forward to working
with the community to raise the approximate one million dollars that it
will take to complete the renovation. When we are finished, the
District and Newhall Elementary School will have an auditorium space to
use during the school day, and for special events. The Theatre Guild
will have a home for its Children's Theatre productions and space to
increase the number of classes offered to children after school,
weekends, and during school breaks. It is a win-win-win partnership for
the District, the CTG. and the youth of Santa Clarita."
“As the owners of the building the Newhall School District’s goal is
the same as it has always been – to create a medium sized performance
space for the use and enjoyment of the children of the Santa Clarita
Valley,” said Robert Jensen, president of district’s Governing Board.
“A new lease agreement with Canyon Theatre Guild is the first step
towards re-energizing that goal and we are pleased to take action to
create this partnership. We could not renovate this space without
assistance from the community.”
The Governing Board of the Newhall School District will be considering
action to enter into a long term lease agreement with Canyon Theatre
Guild at its November 4th meeting.
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