Share your thoughts: Should Lansing build a concert, performing arts space downtown?

LANSING — Would you go downtown to see a stand-up comedian? What about a classical concert?

Local leaders want to know, as they consider whether Lansing should build a new performing arts venue.

Even if stakeholders decide to move forward with construction, it could take years and tens of millions of dollars before the new venue opens.

In the meantime, Lansing-area residents are invited to share their thoughts via a survey, available at www.ams-online.com. The survey, which takes between 10 and 15 minutes to complete, will be open until June 21.

Click here to take the survey. 

Experts envision mid-sized concert venue

There is demand in the Lansing-region for a mid-sized indoor concert facility with between 1,000 and 1,500 seats, experts with AMS Planning & Research told city leaders in a meeting this spring.

That's smaller than Michigan State University's Wharton Center for Performing Arts, which has 2,400 fixed seats in its largest auditorium. The Wharton Center, located in East Lansing, attracts touring musicians as well as Broadway shows.

This new venue would distinguish itself from the Wharton, said Michele Walter, managing director at AMS Planning & Research, a Connecticut-based consulting firm.

Local groups, including the city of Lansing, the Lansing Symphony Orchestra and the Capital Region Community Foundation, paid the firm $105,000 to study the viability of a performing arts center in downtown Lansing.

"There absolutely is a gap in the market," Walter said. "We see it as something that would be complementary to the Wharton. It's something that we think would be a tremendous catalyst for downtown development."

Lansing-area consumers seem most interested in additional concert venues, although it's likely the center would play host to range of events, including plays and dance performances.

'Flexibility is key'

A new, slightly-smaller venue could be a boon for the Lansing Symphony Orchestra, the symphony's Executive Director Courtney Millbrook said.

Wharton's seating capacity is larger than what a typical symphony crowd can fill. Additionally, Wharton's crowded schedule can present a planning challenge, Millbrook said.

"Wharton's a wonderful place," Lansing Mayor Andy Schor. "They just don't have the capacity to meet every type of need in the area."

Lansing's venue might include modular seating that can be rearranged to accommodate varying crowd sizes.

The Anthem Theater in Washington D.C., for instance, has a moveable stage and capacity that ranges from 3,200 sitting or 6,000 standing audience members. It cost $60 million to build The Anthem, according to a presentation from AMS Planning.

"Flexibility is key if a venue is going to survive," Walter said.

Construction could cost at least $50 million

The price tag for a downtown Lansing performing arts center remains ambiguous, but Walter warned local leaders they should not expect to pay anything less than $50 million for construction.

Lansing could court private donations, but, even so, some type of public subsidy may be needed to cover building costs, Walter said.

And, once the center is open, it's unlikely to be a money-maker. An operating budget has not yet been researched, but ticket sales alone may not be enough to break even, Walter said.

Schor said he'd prefer any venue operate without a city subsidy, although the mayor added it is too soon to commit to a funding model.

"That's, like, step 100 and we're at, like, step two," Schor said.

Meanwhile, a small outdoor performance venue is poised to open this summer at the Shiawassee Street underpass on the eastern bank of the Grand River. Private donors funded the downtown event space, known as Happening Under the Bridge or the HUB.

Yet another outdoor performance venue could eventually open just north of the HUB. The Arts Council of Greater Lansing is exploring plans to bring a permanent covered stage to Adado Riverfront Park, the site of Lansing's Common Ground music festival, slated for June 27-30 this year.

More:

New venue? Downtown performing arts center discussed for Lansing

Old Town business leaders look to raise funds for community stage

Contact Sarah Lehr at (517) 377-1056 or slehr@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahGLehr. 

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