Would you vote YES for a world class Performing Arts Center? (San Antonio: fit in, hotel)

[210]

It is beginning to look like next year (May/08) the city will put to vote an extension of the hotel-motel tax with will allow a county budget of $500 million for things like amateur athletic facilities, riverwalk improvments, etc. Most importantly, a state-of-the-art Performing Arts Center.

Would you vote yes to an extension of the hotel-motel tax to allow construction of these civic projects that will better the quailty of life in San Antonio?

[tgannaway89]

Just wanted to point out that early voting begins soon!

[BenjaminNicholas]

YES!!!

A facility with more capability that The Majestic would lure bigger national tours, better performers and bigger names to the city. While totally over-budget, the perfect example would be the new Carnival Center for Performing Arts in Miami. It's beautiful and truly world class.


Again, YES!!!



BN

[Turtle_Mom]

I don't need the athletic centers, although I realize that it brings in the tax dollars. But a performing arts center would be fantastic! I know we still get Broadway across America, and have the symphony and local plays. But to be the 7th largest city we really need a center.

[Bo]

San Antonio can barely sell enough tickets to keep its symphony afloat. I am not convinced that a performing arts center is needed yet, as adding a ballet company and bringing bigger Broadway shows to town will further fragment the audience for the symphony. I say let the symphony outgrow its facilities first, before the taxpayers and hotel visitors bestow better ones on it.

[BenjaminNicholas]

Originally Posted by Bowie

San Antonio can barely sell enough tickets to keep its symphony afloat. I am not convinced that a performing arts center is needed yet, as adding a ballet company and bringing bigger Broadway shows to town will further fragment the audience for the symphony. I say let the symphony outgrow its facilities first, before the taxpayers and hotel visitors bestow better ones on it.

You should bone-up on your SA Symphony history. The SAS has been milking money from the city, donors and fundraisers for years. It's their own internal finance system that been keeping them down, putting their bottom-line into the red over & over again.

Don't blame the audience. It's been there. I've been a subscriber for 5 years now and always see at least 90% full houses at the Majestic.

Waiting for the SAS to prosper is a bad idea considering their inability to help themselves out of the hole they've created. A new performing arts center would only attract people to San Antonio, as well as offer a customized space for tours and entertainers. We'd never have to deal again with hearing the Majestic say 'sorry, that musical is just too big to fit into this theatre.'

That's the line they kept using when people asked why Wicked (and their now 5th National Tour) hadn't hit the Alamo City yet. Same excuse went for Phantom, years ago, before they opened up some more space, further killing the depth of the stage at The Empire.


Quite simply: A world-class city needs world-class facilities. The Majestic is NOT that facility.




BN

[Bo]

Originally Posted by BenjaminNicholas

Don't blame the audience. It's been there. I've been a subscriber for 5 years now and always see at least 90% full houses at the Majestic.

I've been twice, plus I went to the free kids concert at Sunset Station a couple of years ago. The free event was packed, but the house was maybe 60% full at the Majestic. Our respective samples support our respective conclusions.

All of the promotion for this ballot item focuses on how the facilities will be built with a tax on visitors. But the costs to staff and maintain those facilities are paid by us local taxpayers! I'm not excited about the city building more facilities and having to pay the ongoing costs to staff them. Thinking about how that 60,000 seat white elephant on I-37 sits vacant for 350-360 days a year and costs taxpayers over $1M/year to maintain makes me dig my heels in and say "Enough!"

[mclor85]

When can we vote? Is this an actual possibility?

[tgannaway89]

Yes, early voting begins on the 28th!

For more information: A.C.T. For San Antonio

[Spock's Beard]

The Alamodome sits empty most of the time. I still blame the Spurs since they were the ones who wanted it and threatened to leave if they didn't get it.

The AT&T center (called the "community arena" when they were pandering for votes) has all but achieved it's goal of taking so much away from Freeman colliseum that it's all but gone.

Sunken Gardens theater is big enough for many acts that come through town, but it needs to be repaired.

Then there's Verizon Wireless theater, which does wonders to book bands no other venue within the city can book.

Then there's Aztec theater, which has always struggled for business that goes elsewhere.

Then there's the Empire theater.......excuse me....CHARLENE MCCOMBS Empire Theater. I don't want to forget her name because she paid good money to put it on there. Don't wanna get whacked for dissing a socialite wife throwing her husband's money around.

Then there's the Lila Cockrell theater.......I don't see what it can't do that others can but we just had to have it and just had to name it after her.

Then there's the Maestic, which could use more business.

That's NINE venues. Most sit empty most of the time and a couple really need more business, so why do we need more?