For Immediate Release
August 13, 2018
Contact:
Susan Goes, Executive Director, 541-942-8001
Cottage Theatre awarded grant from Oregon Cultural Trust
Cottage Grove, OR — Cottage Theatre has been awarded a grant of $40,075 from the Oregon Cultural Trust in support of a planned remodeling project to expand auditorium seating, improve audience sightlines, and upgrade technical and safety features. The 36-year-old community theatre in Cottage Grove was one of 87 grantees in this year’s Cultural Development Grants, and one of only six organizations to be awarded more than $40,000. Other major grants were given to Portland’s August Wilson Red Door Project, Medford’s Butte Creek Mill Foundation, the Eugene Ballet, Eugene’s Shedd Instititute for the Arts, and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland.
“We are absolutely thrilled to receive this significant support and vote of confidence from the Oregon Cultural Trust,” comments Executive Director Susan Goes. “Cottage Theatre has had many sold-out shows in recent years, and we are eager to add additional seats and update our facility so that it is even more comfortable for our growing number of patrons.” Cottage Theatre’s current annual attendance is approximately 11,000 people, with just 30% coming from Cottage Grove and 70% coming from elsewhere in Oregon and beyond. The planned remodel will add 50 new seats and allow the theatre to increase patron visits to Cottage Grove by 4,000 each year.
“A remodeling project of this magnitude is a big challenge for a small nonprofit organization like Cottage Theatre,” adds Board Treasurer Mark Allen, “and will require strong support from many donors to accomplish. Receiving this Oregon Cultural Trust award is a huge confidence builder as we get ready to launch further fundraising efforts.”
The Oregon Cultural Trust was established by the state legislature in 2001 as a way to provide ongoing funding for arts and cultural institutions across Oregon. The Trust is funded by individual Oregonians, who total their gifts to qualifying cultural organizations, make a matching gift to the Cultural Trust, and receive 100% of that match back as a state tax credit.
In 2017 Oregonians gave a record $4.9 million to the Cultural Trust. Sixty percent of that amount was redistributed immediately; to five statewide partner organizations, 45 county and tribal coalitions, and to individual organizations through the competitive Cultural Development grants. The remaining 40 percent is invested in the Trust’s permanent fund, to provide for future generations.
Cottage Theatre produces a year-round season of plays and musicals and offers summer theatre camps for children. Its facility at 700 Village Drive in Cottage Grove was constructed in 1998, with a Rehearsal Hall addition in 2006.
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August 13, 2018
Contact:
Susan Goes, Executive Director, 541-942-8001
Cottage Theatre awarded grant from Oregon Cultural Trust
Cottage Grove, OR — Cottage Theatre has been awarded a grant of $40,075 from the Oregon Cultural Trust in support of a planned remodeling project to expand auditorium seating, improve audience sightlines, and upgrade technical and safety features. The 36-year-old community theatre in Cottage Grove was one of 87 grantees in this year’s Cultural Development Grants, and one of only six organizations to be awarded more than $40,000. Other major grants were given to Portland’s August Wilson Red Door Project, Medford’s Butte Creek Mill Foundation, the Eugene Ballet, Eugene’s Shedd Instititute for the Arts, and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland.
“We are absolutely thrilled to receive this significant support and vote of confidence from the Oregon Cultural Trust,” comments Executive Director Susan Goes. “Cottage Theatre has had many sold-out shows in recent years, and we are eager to add additional seats and update our facility so that it is even more comfortable for our growing number of patrons.” Cottage Theatre’s current annual attendance is approximately 11,000 people, with just 30% coming from Cottage Grove and 70% coming from elsewhere in Oregon and beyond. The planned remodel will add 50 new seats and allow the theatre to increase patron visits to Cottage Grove by 4,000 each year.
“A remodeling project of this magnitude is a big challenge for a small nonprofit organization like Cottage Theatre,” adds Board Treasurer Mark Allen, “and will require strong support from many donors to accomplish. Receiving this Oregon Cultural Trust award is a huge confidence builder as we get ready to launch further fundraising efforts.”
The Oregon Cultural Trust was established by the state legislature in 2001 as a way to provide ongoing funding for arts and cultural institutions across Oregon. The Trust is funded by individual Oregonians, who total their gifts to qualifying cultural organizations, make a matching gift to the Cultural Trust, and receive 100% of that match back as a state tax credit.
In 2017 Oregonians gave a record $4.9 million to the Cultural Trust. Sixty percent of that amount was redistributed immediately; to five statewide partner organizations, 45 county and tribal coalitions, and to individual organizations through the competitive Cultural Development grants. The remaining 40 percent is invested in the Trust’s permanent fund, to provide for future generations.
Cottage Theatre produces a year-round season of plays and musicals and offers summer theatre camps for children. Its facility at 700 Village Drive in Cottage Grove was constructed in 1998, with a Rehearsal Hall addition in 2006.
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