FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
No. COC-07-101-SB
June 1, 2007
New Name for Performing Arts Center The College of the Canyons Board of Trustees voted Wednesday night to add "Santa Clarita" to the name of the college's Performing Arts Center. Citing a desire to establish the Performing Arts Center as a destination venue, the board took the unanimous action, during a special joint meeting of the board with the Santa Clarita City Council, which had requested the modification, given the center's key role in support of the arts in Santa Clarita. "The Performing Arts Center has grown into a regional entertainment venue, and adding Santa Clarita to the name will enhance the visibility of the center, our college, and our community," said Board of Trustees President Michele Jenkins. Since its opening in 2004, the Performing Arts Center has emerged as a focal point for both city and college arts and entertainment and a location for hosting special events. A performing arts center was an integral part of the college district's original plans and remained so for more than 30 years despite a lack of state support to fund the project. After 11 years of consistent advocacy and strategy development, funding for the facility was finally secured from the State of California in 1999. Current city council members who were on the council at that time, Laurene Weste, Frank Ferry and Bob Kellar, were supportive of the vision to add additional seating capacity so that the center could become a community resource as well. They supported a partnership between the college and the City of Santa Clarita which provided an additional $2.4 million that allowed for an expansion of seating over the initial plans funded by the state. The result is an $18.3-million facility that boasts a spectacular proscenium theater with a state-of-the-art sound system and more than 900 seats, as well as an experimental "black box" theater. "We're absolutely thrilled with what the college has done," said Councilman Bob Kellar. "This center is a gem in our community, and adding 'Santa Clarita' to the name of the Performing Arts Center will enhance the city's already outstanding reputation as a supporter of the arts." | 
