The Background

As national attention has turned the spotlight on education reform, the value of the arts and the necessity of a performing arts education are gaining new strength.  The research is clear: children who study music and are exposed to the performing arts from an early age perform better in almost every area of schoolwork.  Music, Drama, Dance and other performing arts improve verbal skills and self-confidence.  Children, more so than any other age group, discover and appreciate the magic inherent in performing.  They feel it as a participant, see it as an audience member and most importantly perhaps, remember that magic feeling for the rest of their lives.

In December of 1997, ‘The St. Helena Performing Arts Theatre Foundation’ was formed to begin work on a long-range plan that would construct a state-of-the-art teaching facility and theater on the campus of St. Helena High School.  This project was created by a group of people strongly committed to the performing arts and education. 

We envision facilities that reflect the excellence of the existing Music programs and emerging Drama and Dance programs, as well as the high standards of the community. This classroom project and theater building will be the catalyst for the growth and continued development of a comprehensive performing arts curriculum for the students of St. Helena schools, and serve as the cultural “heart” of the St. Helena community.

The positive impact on our youth is the most important goal of the Foundation’s projects.  A high-caliber performing arts facility will attract gifted artists from other communities, as well as appeal to the population traditionally out-of-the-spotlight: youths at risk. 

Research has shown that at-risk students often find a haven, a safe place to flourish, within the realm of the performing arts. So many opportunities are offered: dramatic, musical, technical and artistic.  Group interaction, the importance of teamwork and countless personal expression opportunities in a vital theatre arts program build life skills that are the foundation for successful adulthood.

Between 1999 and 2002, the Foundation has undertaken several studies to assess the needs of potential user groups, create preliminary design programs for the theatre structure, analyze the site and soil conditions, and develop cost estimates.

The Foundation retained a world-class team – including Backen & Gillam Architects, acoustical engineers Kirkegaard and Associates and renowned theatre consultants Auerbach & Associates – to develop plans for the facilities. And, in a model private-public partnership with the St. Helena School Board, the Foundation negotiated an innovative joint use agreement to guide the management, scheduling and operation of the building. The School District will own the buildings, and the Foundation will operate it under a lease agreement.