Foundation launches first winter season

The Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts will kick off its

first major winter season this month.

Following the remodel of the center’s lobby and other

renovations in 2009, the Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts

Foundation has been looking for ways to promote further use of the

theater which is best known for housing the Bigfork Summer

Playhouse performances each May through early September.

With the help of a Helena-based agent and promoter, the

foundation has on slate a packed season that will include music,

comedy, fashion and magic in addition to the usual theater and

dance groups. The first show, the Just 4 Laughs Comedy Fest, will

be held Oct. 16.

The Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts will kick off its first major winter season this month.

Following the remodel of the center’s lobby and other renovations in 2009, the Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts Foundation has been looking for ways to promote further use of the theater which is best known for housing the Bigfork Summer Playhouse performances each May through early September.

The foundation tested the waters last year with Ryan Pelton’s Elvis Live in Concert on Valentine’s Day — a show that sold out two performances at the 435-seat theater. Since then, efforts have been underway to provide even more entertainment during the Bigfork Summer Playhouse off-season.

“We’re excited to utilize the facility,” foundation board member Mary Jo Naive said. “It’s one-of-a-kind.”

With the help of a Helena-based agent and promoter, the foundation has on slate a packed season that will include music, comedy, fashion and magic in addition to the usual theater and dance groups. The first show, the Just 4 Laughs Comedy Fest, will be held Oct. 16.

Brochures about the upcoming season came out recently and have already needed to be reordered due to popular demand.

“They’re picking them up like crazy at the theater,” Naive said of the brochures. “When I talk to people, they’re really excited.”

The foundation teamed up with John Raymond with Encore Entertainment Network to plan out the season with a variety of acts. Raymond, who helped bring Pelton to the Village, has access to more than 40 shows and acts and has worked in Las Vegas. He said he sees the uniqueness of Bigfork’s venue.

“It’s great,” Raymond said of the venue. “What’s nice about it for entertainers is that it’s so intimate. It has the closeness that entertainers love.”

Naive said the foundation looked at bringing the much-requested Pelton back, but he was headed on a tour to Germany.  “But we have some other really fun entertainment for a variety of people and it’s all very family-oriented,” Naive said.

The foundation ran a survey last winter to find out what people are interested in seeing at the center. That produced a running list of different types of acts to consider, Naive said.

“What we got the feeling of is that people are interested in variety,” Naive said. “And just because we didn’t address it the first year doesn’t mean it’s not on our list.”

The most requested use was for film, which is a challenge, Naive said. First of all, films are difficult to get without a chain affiliation, but the theater also doesn’t have the proper equipment to do it, she said.

The theater doesn’t have a “real” movie screen or a proper projector for showing films, she said.

Some limitations also exist in what the foundation is able to bring in because of finances, especially since the foundation still needs $150,000 to pay for the lobby remodel.

“We’re still on our last big push to pay off the lobby,” Naive said. “We’re limited in our expansion choices until we’ve paid it off.”

Still, the season is a step up for the center from previous winters. Some of the organizations that have traditionally used the center, such as the Bigfork Playhouse Children’s Theatre, Bigfork Community Players and Northwest Ballet Company, continue to do so.

However, they are joined in the line-up by acts including performers staged as Johnny Cash and The Beatles and a Las Vegas-style interactive magic show.

“We still have our really strong base,” Naive said. “We have a nice blend between non-profit and for-profit groups as well as those community-based and not.”

The goal of the season is to help promote Bigfork as a destination year round by bringing in an array of acts, Naive said.

“We have a great, great variety of entertainment,” Raymond said. “You’re not going to be disappointed.”

To help expand the offerings, the foundation is launching a season membership — $75 for an individual/family or $150 for a business.

“Membership is our way to start building a fund to expand the program,” Naive said. “You basically get your money back (through the discounts).”

Members receive a 10 percent discount to select performances as well as advanced notice of events and online and print promotions.

For more information on the season’s events and membership or to purchase tickets, visit www.bigforktheater.org or call 837-4885.