BPA Announces New Buxton Center Project

Although the doors have been closed and the stage lights left dark since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bainbridge Performing Arts has fully embraced that old theatrical motto, "The show must go on."

When not producing their popular new podcast, The Bainbridge Pod Accomplice, the team is simultaneously working to improve the building, both inside and out, for the next generation of performers, patrons, and the Bainbridge Island community.

What began as a generous bequest from the late Frank Buxton, who spent so many years on the BPA stage, has quickly grown into a multi-million dollar campaign to enhance the experience for all who walk through the doors of the new Buxton Center for Bainbridge Performing Arts.

Plans for the updated building include:

• New studio theater space

• Comfortable multi-aisle seating

• Expanding the lobby and restrooms

• New roof (with new solar panel array)

• Upgraded Box Office and administrative offices

• Improved dressing rooms

• Upgraded HVAC systems

• New elevator and upstairs landing

• LEED certification & environmental upgrades.

The timing of the campaign has shifted in an appropriately dramatic fashion to make the most of the current closure. BPA has chosen to invest in itself and tackle some of the much-needed maintenance, with the help of Carley Construction.

The campaign committee includes John Ellis, Omie Kerr, Debbie MacLeod, Kate Meyers, Mark Levine, and several others working closely with Executive Director Dominique Cantwell, and has the full support of the BPA Board of Trustees. Will Langemack (Architecture Chair) & Ralph Spillinger (Former NASA and Bainbridge Island Museum of Art Project Manager) have been developing the building's design and environmental updates with LMN Architects.

More details about what's happening at BPA can be found on the campaign's new website www.buxtoncenter.com.

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