The Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School and Camp, a longtime bastion of the Steamboat Springs performing arts community, has announced that it is working with Yampa Valley Entertainment to bring a new concert series to the historic Julie Harris Theatre.
“I have worked with Perry-Mansfield a number of times,” said Nick LaGorga, who owns Yampa Valley Entertainment. “Executive Director Joe Haines reached out to me and asked to set up a meeting where we could talk about the future of the Julie Harris Theatre.”
From that meeting emerged an idea to bring local acts and talent, in addition to nationally recognized music groups, to the newly renovated performance space. That idea, according to Haines, has been paired with an overall reimagining of what role Perry-Mansfield should play in the Yampa Valley performing arts community.
“The idea is to run programs, concerts, magic shows, plays and Ted-talks in the space year-round and use it as a way to support performing arts in the community while also generating revenue that Perry-Mansfield can reinvest into the organization and community,” Haines said.
“We were looking for a partner who could help us get that off the ground,” Haines continued. “Nick has a great reputation in the community and so I reached out to him.”
Haines also pointed to the fact that LaGorga brings a deep expertise in sound and light design in addition to engineering and promotion. La Gorga added another objective in the offering of a quality entertainment experience in one of the more unique performance spaces in the Yampa Valley.
Haines and La Gorga discussed at length the possibility of using local acts to showcase the renovation at the Julie Harris Theatre.
“From there we can move toward bringing in national touring acts while still utilizing local acts for openers or separate concerts,” LaGorga said. “That was a staple in my business since day one — you treat local acts just like national touring acts; you treat small venues with the same respect as big venues.”
The initial concert series will include Kirk Martenson opening for Heads All Empty on Feb. 25. This will be followed by local favorites Apple Pie Order opening for The Little Moon Travelers on March 22. Zazu will perform following Jorden Harms on March 29. April 15 will feature Brian Griradelli opening for Colony Funk.
The last show in the series will be on April 12 when Kyle Rowland opens for Cat Pack.
When asked about the importance of the integration of local bands in the announced lineup, LaGorga pointed out that Yampa Valley Entertainment believes “in providing for the community, for the locals, for the people that work and live here.”
The winter concert series has been met with a great deal of excitement from Perry-Mansfield leadership. That series will lead into the summer performing arts camp season before another series of shows and concerts begin in the fall.
Recent renovation at the theater included a new roof, bathroom facilities and interior redesigns. The goal was to update the space from a seasonal summer camp theater to a year-round theater and performing arts venue. A bar that serves alcohol, as well as one that serves snacks, has also been added to the theater.
The updates to the Julie Harris Theatre also expanded the seating capacity to around 150 seats.
The updates were made possible through a series of grants, including state historical fund grants, as well as private funding.
The long-term goal, according to Haines, is for the Julie Harris Theatre to become a more notable performing arts space in Northwestern Colorado while also serving as an affordable and intimate space for local performing arts organizations, such as operas, orchestras and dance theaters.
Both Haines and LaGorga noted that the goal of the concert series, and of the renovation of the Julie Harris Theatre, is to complement the music scene that already exists in the community while engaging the community through broadening and refocusing the view of what Perry-Mansfield can be.
“Yampa Valley Entertainment will be vital in moving the Julie Harris Theatre to be that preeminent space that we all want it to be,” Haines said.
For more on Perry-Mansfield including a calendar of events, go to Perry-Mansfield.org/. For more on Yampa Valley Entertainment, YampaValleyEntertainment.com/.
