If you’re not sure what the proposed Willoughby Arts Complex is, imagine the old armory, now known as the Juneau Arts and Culture Center, completely remodeled and expanded to accommodate numerous community arts-related activities and performances.
The project has officially been in the works since 2012 and had been a partnership between the Juneau Arts and Humanities Council and Perseverance Theatre until last week when Perseverance decided to remove itself from the project.
The theater’s executive artistic director, Art Rotch, says they’re not in a financial position to be a part of the project right now.
“Love the idea, I think is a good idea for Juneau. Love working with the arts council, but want to be thoughtful and responsible about the theater’s resources and priorities,” said Rotch.
And those priorities go back to a conversation Rotch heard many years ago between then-board member Bishop Michael Kenny and Artistic Director Molly Smith.
“The Bishop asked Molly a really simple question. He said, ‘Molly, if you kind of soft-focused your eyes and you imagine Perseverance Theatre–Is it a physical place? Is it a piece of architecture? Or is it people?’ And she immediately answered, ‘It’s the people and it’s the performances. That’s really what makes the theater thrive.’ So if we’re not putting our efforts behind the people that make the work, make the art, we’re misplacing our priorities,” Rotch said.
Juneau Arts and Humanities Council Executive Director Nancy DeCherney has mixed feelings about Perseverance’s removal.
“It was going to be very exciting to have that collaboration, and I think that having all of the arts groups in one building really could contribute to a lot of synergy. So, in that regard, it is sad that we weren’t able to make this work at this time. I don’t think that this means necessarily down the road that some collaboration like that won’t happen. On the other hand, it’s cumbersome as you know whenever you have more people involved. The process gets more complicated. It makes it a little smaller and more affordable project, so I think that it works out for the best for all concerned at this time,” DeCherney said.
Without Perseverance’s partnership, DeCherney said some adjustments will be made to the structure, including the removal of one of the planned theaters which would have held 280 people.
There will still be room, she said, for Perseverance to perform in either the remaining theater, which is the same size, or the smaller 120-person theater.
Correction: We’ve updated this article to reflect the correct spelling of Art Rotch’s name.
