Hosts well over 100 events annually including Jay Leno, Beach Boys, Chris Botti, Soctty McCreety and special school matinees for 10,897 children; too bad Verde Valley

The Community College reported at the November 2018 meeting that the Performing Arts Center hosts over 100 events per year.  Some of the programs it recently hosted included:  Jay Leno, the Ten Tenors, the Beach Boys, Chris Botti, Scotty McCreery, the Texas Tenors, and New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players’ The Pirates of Penzance. And many, many more.   There were school matinees in 2017-2018 for 10,897 children on the west side of the County.  There were 1,608 children, according to the College, who attended a matinee program in the Verde Valley.

The Performing Arts Center on the Prescott campus was built and significantly upgraded with the help of Verde Valley property tax revenue. From the Blog’s perspective, it was built and upgraded primary for the benefit of the retirees in the Prescott/Prescott Valley area.  Neither the city of Prescott nor the town of Prescott Valley could afford to build and support such a facility.  Recall that Tim’s Toyota Center in Prescott Valley, which held events similar to those now run by the College, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2015.   Only the College, with its constant stream of tax support via primary and secondary taxes plus bonding authority, had the available money to put into such a structure and subsidize its annual maintenance  and operation.

A few persons from the Verde Valley attend the events at the Center, however,  the overwhelming audiences appear to consist of appreciative retired Prescott area folks.

College advertises you can “Dine in elegance, without rushing to the Theatre — because you’re already there! Join us for dinner in the upstairs lobby of the Performing Arts Center” – Is it the only Community College Dinner theater in the Nation? Is this appropriate for a community college? For your property tax support?

Yavapai Community College Performing Arts Center offers pre-show dinners for select performances. In its marketing advertisement the College says that you can “dine in elegance, without rushing to the Theatre — because you’re already there! Join us for dinner in the upstairs lobby of the Performing Arts Center. An elevator is available to access the upstairs.”

Lobby doors to the state-of-the-art theatre (paid for in part by Verde Valley property tax revenue) and the downstairs bar open at 5:00 PM. Not many community colleges can boast of having their own dinner theatre bar.

“Seating and dinner service begin at 5:30 PM. Dinner includes entree, salad, side dish, dessert, non-alcoholic beverages and coffee service.  Vegetarian entree available. A cash bar will be available for those who wish to purchase wine, beer, and cocktails. All dinners are pre-paid reservation-only. If there are any food-related concerns, please contact the box office directly.”

The Community College looks “forward to having you join us for dinner soon!” 

Twenty-six programs shown on large screen   on the Prescott Campus

Yavapai Community College has lined up 26 outstanding cultural programs to be shown on the large screen “live” at the Performing Arts Center on the Prescott Campus in the coming months.  The programs, which are apparently aimed primarily at Prescott/Prescott Valley residents, are listed below.

Tickets $24 | Senior $20 | Youth $10

Programs wow appreciative Prescott residents; Yavapai student attendance appears sparse

The Performing Arts Center on the Prescott campus was built and significantly upgraded with the help of Verde Valley property tax revenue. Although some persons from the Verde Valley attend the events at the Center,  the overwhelming audiences appear to consist of appreciative Prescott area folks.  It also appears to the Blog that a very small number, at best, of Yavapai Community College students attend the events.

The following is a list of a few of the outstanding programs over the next few months at the Center on the Prescott Campus. (Note the one program scheduled for Camp Verde.)

• National Theater Live, Hamlet, July 6, 2017 6 PM.
• Prescott Pops Symphony, Pops and Patriots, Sunday, July 9, 2017.
• Prescott POPS Symphony 2017-2018 Sunday, July 30, 2017 3 PM The Music of Rodgers & Hammerstein and Andrew Lloyd Webber.
• National Theater Live, Peter Pan, August 3, 2017 6 PM.
• 30^th Annual Arizona Cowboy Poets Gathering, featuring Dave Stamey, August 10, 2017, 7 PM.
• 30^th Annual Arizona Cowboy Poets Gathering, featuring Trinity Seeley, August 11, 2017 7 PM.
• 30^th Annual Arizona Cowboy Poets Gathering, featuring Don Edwards,  August 12, 2017 7 PM.
• Prescott Jazz Summit, Prescott Jazz Summit all-star big-band, August 26, 2017, 7:30 PM.
• The off-Broadway hit comedy “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus,” performed live September 8, 2017 at 7:30 PM.

• BILL BLAGG’S THE SCIENCE OF MAGIC, Wednesday, September 20, 2017 | 9:30 am & 11:30 am Camp Verde, AZ .

•  Thursday, September 21, 2017 | 9:30 am & 11:00 a.m. at  Performing Arts Center.

• MOON MOUSE, A SPACE ODYSSEY, Wednesday, October 18, 2017 | 9:30 am & 11:30 am. Best for grades K-4.

• THE OKEE DOKEE BROTHERS, Thursday, November 2, 2017 | 9:30 am & 11:30 am. Performing arts Center.

• Other future concerts include:  The Beach Boys, The Texas  Tenors, The Price is Right Alive! Scotty McCreery, Garrison Keillor and much more.

  

Tickets $60 and $95 per seat; pre-dinner $32

Five-time Grammy winner Wynonna Judd brings The Big Noise to the Prescott Campus this Friday at 7:30 p.m.  In her advertisement, she says she is bringing “brand new music from their debut album and some of her greatest hits.” Tickets are $60 and $95 per seat for the concert.

Because it is also a dinner theater, the Community College says that there is no need to “rush to the Theater — because you’re already there and you can enjoy dinner before the concert at the concert hall itself.  The menu Entrée and Accompaniments: Chicken En Croute, Parmesan Roasted Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus with lemon.  Dessert: Strawberry Torte.  Dinner is $32 per person.

Pre-paid reservation only. Doors to the Performing Arts Center open at 5:30 pm, seating until 6:30 pm. Non-alcoholic beverages and coffee service included. Cash bar available. Vegetarian option available. For food-related concerns, contact the box office.

Click here for more information.