Special to Independent Newsmedia
The state’s oldest producing theatre, celebrating its 104th season, will break ground on a new facility.
This is the first major renovation The Phoenix Theatre Company has done in 10 years, and will expand its black box-style theater space from 250 seats to 500 and add a proscenium stage with modern technology for pre-Broadway show development in the future.
The theater, located at 1825 N. Central Ave., at the intersection of Central and McDowell, is anticipated to finish its $30 million renovation in 2025.
New features will include a full fly loft, below-stage traps and a larger stage.
The theater will be named after Dr. Stacie J. Stephenson, bestselling author and leader in functional and integrative medicine, and Richard J. Stephenson, Cancer Treatment Centers of America chairman and founder.
The Phoenix Theatre Company employs 130 full-time staffers and, with a $13 million annual operating budget, is the largest regional theatre in Arizona and one of the largest in the Southwest, according to a press release.
This project caps a 20-year, $70 million expansion plan, making it one of the largest investments in a regional theatre in the country.
