Las Vegas Sun

March 18, 2024

SST is a million-dollar gem looking for a million-dollar boost

'Tarzan' at Super Summer Theatre

Jake Klein

Tarzan at Super Summer Theatre used aerial acrobatics from Trapeze Las Vegas and Braun Productions sparingly but effectively.

Updated Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015 | 11:36 a.m.

There are 1,500 people at Super Summer Theatre on this August night, but referring to this gathering as a “crowd” is not right. It’s a mingling, really, of friends and families who have spread out on blankets and lawn chairs at Spring Mountain Ranch.

It’s a breezy night, conversation-wise and weather-wise, as we take in the SST production of “Tarzan.” The show starts at nightfall, or thereabouts. But before the performance, we are reminded that the local theater company needs money.

About $300,000.

In the next three months.

That’s a lotta bake sales, folks.

This is not to suggest SST is going under if it does not pull in $300,000 by the end of November. Let’s back this up a bit: In spring 2014, SST was the beneficiary of a $600,000 grant made by the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation in recognition of Dr. Keith Boman, who stepped down last year from the foundation’s board of trustees. The first installment of that grant, $100,000, was made last year. But the game-changer is the $500,000 matching grant arranged by Boman, which is to be awarded only if SST can raise $500,000 of its own.

The million-dollar question, then, is how can the local arts company make that happen? If anyone can work that magic it’s Boman, but even he is concerned that SST’s fundraising efforts will fall short and that money will never be delivered (and we’ll note right now that you can donate to SST at www.supersummertheatre.org).

A significant moment in the fundraiser is Sept. 13 with a fundraiser at Spring Mountain Ranch from 5 p.m.-9 p.m. The picnic and entertainment program is hosted by Sen. Richard Bryan costs $140 for adults, $40 for kids ages 6 to 17, 5 and under free. Tickets and info, too are available at the SST website. All money will be used for the matching grant.

The current effort is easily the largest donor campaign in the theater's history.

“We’re talking about a company that has a difficult time raising $5,000, and we are looking at $500,000, and we have no experience in raising that kind of money,” Boman says. “We always raise just enough money for the following year, to stay in the black. We’ve never raised money other than to pass the hat, and that has always been fine except …”

His voice drops, because as homey as the Spring Mountain State Park stage and grassy seating area feels, it is showing its age. SST is in its 40th year, and such permanent amenities as the stage, the restrooms, and the sound and lighting equipment (which is rented rather than owned) all need to be addressed. The capital improvements include new siding and upgrades to the theater, landscaping, a more efficient electrical system, renovations of the concession stands and lighting booth, improvement of the SST Studio facility, and storage space for costumes, props and sets.

For $1 million, SST could be structurally funded for perpetuity.

“It’s a gem of a facility and the organization is nonprofit, so they are doing this purely for the love of it,” says Boman, a Las Vegas cardiologist whose own philanthropic spirit and resources helped lead to the building of Boman Pavilion at the Smith Center for the Performing Arts. “But the tickets and passing of the hat cover the short-term operating expenses only.”

That SST has raised upwards of $200,000 thus far is somewhat remarkable. The company elicited the leadership of veteran nonprofit fundraiser Tom Kovak. The list of opportunities for the community to donate range from naming opportunities for the pavilion, stage, studios, parking lot and concession stand (from $500,000 to $100,000) to nominal donations of $50 to $1,000.

Obviously, the frequenters who take in such productions as “Tarzan,” which closed over the weekend, and the upcoming “Lend Me a Tenor,” set for Sept. 10-26, have been hit up repeatedly. In terms of attendance, the SST support is remarkable as last season it drew 40,000 in its entire season, and it is at that pace again this year, with most shows at or near capacity. The key is to reach those who are not aware of the SST value, with tickets just $12 in advance and $20 at the gate.

If you are looking for top-notch family friendly entertainment at a great value, SST has that, every time out.

“It’s been difficult, but we are learning,” Boman says. “We don’t have a lot of high-level clientele, we don’t do advertising, but we need to modernize. I keep saying it: This is a game-changer. It’s hard, but this organization is so worth it.”

Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at Twitter.com/JohnnyKats. Also, follow “Kats With the Dish” at Twitter.com/KatsWiththeDish.

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