Equipment/Facilities Improvement

Project Details by Fiscal Year
2019 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$8,046
Fund Source
Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund
Recipient
Lake Benton Opera House, Inc.
Recipient Type
Non-Profit Business/Entity
Status
Completed
Start Date
November 2018
End Date
September 2019
Activity Type
Grants/Contracts
Counties Affected
Lincoln
Lyon
Murray
Pipestone
Yellow Medicine
Rock
Nobles
Lincoln
Lyon
Murray
Pipestone
Yellow Medicine
Rock
Nobles
Project Overview

Equipment/Facilities Improvement

Project Details

2018 Equipment upgrade.

Competitive Grant Making Body
Board Members and Qualifications

John White: writer, photographer, retired journalist; Georgette Jones: literature teacher, theatre actor, theater director, theater teacher; Marilee Strom: musician, former art teacher, business owner; Kathy Fransen: musician, theatre, Rhythm of the River coordinator; Janet Olney: visual artist, Willmar Area Arts Council coordinator; Joyce Meyer: photographer, retired art teacher, Canby Arts Council; Pam Blake: retired art educator, visual artist, Tyler Arts Council, Lincoln County Art Fair, Southwest Minnesota Weaver’s Guild; Michele Knife Sterner: theatre actor, Southwest Minnesota State University Associate director for Access Opportunity Success program; Lisa Hill: musician, Crow River Singers, attorney; Joyce Aakre: visual arts, writing, Discover Dassel committee, Board member for Litchfield Community Education, Exhibit committee for Dassel Area Historical Society; Emily Petersen: visual artist, art teacher; David KelseyBassett: visual artist, musician; Anne O’Keefe-Jackson: human resources director, bead and quill work; Cindy Reverts: visual artist, Rock County Fine Arts Association treasurer, Council for Arts in Humanities in Rock County; Brett Lehman: Worthington International Festival, Worthington City Band, Worthington Concert Association; Erica Volkir: performing arts, Director of Pipestone Area Chamber of Commerce and CVB; Claire Swanson: visual arts, arts teacher, Meander Art Crawl Committee.

Advisory Group Members and Qualifications

Joyce Aakre: visual art, writing; Lisa Bergh: visual art, arts administration; Mark Brodin: theatre; Jolene Louwagie: dance; Tammy Makram: arts administration; Anne O’Keefe-Jackson: visual art.

Conflict of Interest Disclosed
No
Legal Citation / Subdivision
Laws of Minnesota 2017 Regular Session, chapter 91, article 4, section 2, subdivision 3
Appropriation Language

ACHF Arts Access

2019 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$8,046
Other Funds Leveraged
$2,529
Direct expenses
$10,575
Number of full time equivalents funded
0.00
Proposed Measurable Outcome(s)

Of the goals we hope to achieve with this project, the most measurable will be improvements to our sound and lights. We strive to bring our outdated sound system into a state-of-the-art that will our shows more enjoyable by enhancing the volume and clarity of our actors so the audiences can better understand the story they are watching. Our improvements to our lighting system will give us greater flexibility in lighting certain parts of the stage to separate from scene changes and multiple vignettes that occur in most shows. The lighting changes will also be safer for our tech crew, as LED lighting will enable us to change colors from the light board without climbing to change light gels when the show is being put together. For our 2019 shows, we will include surveys that will allow people to offer opinions on how well they could hear the dialogue and talk about any thoughts on the visual enjoyment that the lighting may or may not have brought to the show. Results will be analyzed by the board of directors. We will also bring in tech people from the local area to identify how we can make the results even better.

Measurable Outcome(s)

In the surveys, most audience members felt the lighting for the show was an improvement over some shows they had seen previously. Some still had issues with not being able to hear dialogue sporadically, but good reviews overall. We feel that although we made great strides in helping our audiences hear the actors we still need to continue to strive for improvements. We will also continue as money permits to continue to replace non-LED stage lighting to make the setup less onerous for future shows.

Proposed Outcomes Achieved
Achieved most of the proposed outcomes
Source of Additional Funds

Other,local or private

Recipient Board Members
Mark Wilmes, Beth Reams, Jodi Greer, Sandy Hanson, Milo Downs, David Norgaard, Lisa Willert, Nathaniel Gates, Anne Lichtsinn, Priscilla Osland, Kathy HOlck, Alan Riedel, Amy Reese. Justin Condelli, Jocelyn Klein
Project Manager
First Name
Mark
Last Name
Wilmes
Organization Name
Lake Benton Opera House, Inc.
Street Address
118 Benton St E
City
Lake Benton
State
MN
Zip Code
56149
Phone
(507) 368-4620
Email
lakebentonoperahouse@gmail.com
Administered By
Administered by
Location

Griggs Midway Building, Suite 304,
540 Fairview Avenue North,
St. Paul, MN 55104

Phone
(651) 539-2650 or toll-free (800) 866-2787
Email the Agency
Location

509 W Main St, PO Box 55
Marshall, Minnesota 56258 

Phone
Phone Manager: Nicole DeBoer
(507) 537-1471
Email the Agency