Companies have until May 19 to submit proposals for running the venue
CL Real Estate Development, backed out of its 10-year lease agreement in February. Courtesy | Facebook
The Dawn Theater Governance Board is accepting proposals for management of the Dawn Theater until May 19 at 3 p.m., the group announced this month.
The previous owner, CL Real Estate Development, backed out of its 10-year lease agreement in February, leaving the Dawn Theater Governance Board to find new management for the property, The Collegian reported previously.
Dawn Theater Governance Board Chair and Professor of Theatre James Brandon said the city’s Tax Increment Finance Authority primarily wants a party who will manage the space and make a business out of the venue.
“They want somebody that has the wherewithal to run a business of this nature,” Brandon said. “In an ideal situation, there are conglomerates that run small venues like this. So I would hope maybe a few of them would throw their hat in the ring. There may be some local entities that want to do that. So it’s seeing who’s out there, and then hopefully having a range of proposals to choose from.”
Proposals must include a cover letter, a company profile, an operational plan, a financial plan, and references, according to the city’s request for proposal.
Once a candidate applies, Friends of the Dawn Theater Chair Mary Wolfram said several TIFA committees will review the application, asking for more information as needed. Following the initial assessment, the committees will present chosen candidates to the full TIFA board for approval and negotiation with the winning bidder.
Zoning Administrator Alan Beeker declined to comment on the number of submissions the committee has received so far, but said there is not a limit as to how many proposals the board will accept.
The current management contract ends June 17, and Brandon said there will likely be a gap between that date and when the new management takes over, resulting in a decrease of programming at the theater during that time.
“Most of these events are going to be planned months out,” Brandon said. “So a new entity coming in in June isn’t going to magically start booking events the next week.”
Brandon said the ad hoc management structure will help to schedule potential events from June onward, but said he hopes the board will determine a permanent manager quickly. This, Brandon said, depends on quality candidates.
“It’s kind of a mess, but it’s not a transition anyone was expecting to make,” Brandon said. “CLRED was adamant about a 10-year lease, and nobody thought we’d be in this position.”
Wolfram said she is optimistic about new leadership in the space and said she hopes the new manager will be friendly toward the Friends of the Dawn’s community events.
“I’m hoping that we get some good proposals from some qualified candidates,” Wolfram said. “This is a great opportunity for someone to provide a service to our community and make a fair profit. They will be getting a brand new, recently rehabilitated, beautiful building in which to stage weddings, meetings, performances, and other events. Really, the sky’s the limit.”
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