Arizona Opera and Arizona Theatre Company announced they have reached an agreement to share administrative office space in their respective headquarters in both Phoenix and Tucson. As the organizations share the distinction of serving the communities of both cities, this unique collaboration will strengthen Arizona Opera and Arizona Theatre Company’s ability to create impact in those cities.
Currently, both Arizona Opera and Arizona Theatre Company are resident companies at Herberger Theater Center. This new agreement will also formalize Arizona Opera as a resident company of the Temple of Music and Art in Tucson for the annual presentation of its fall McDougall RED Series.
“Arizona Opera is thrilled to collaborate with Arizona Theatre Company in this special partnership that allows us to deepen our impact on both of the cities we call home. Sharing our resources in this way will allow both companies to broaden our statewide reach,” said Joseph Specter, president and general director of Arizona Opera. “We are grateful to ATC for making it possible for Arizona Opera to reestablish offices in our company’s birthplace of Tucson. It will be great to see our logo in downtown Tucson once again.”
Billy Russo, managing director of Arizona Theatre Company adds, “There is a synergy between our organizations as we have both experienced the great benefits and challenges that come with being part of the cultural landscape of two cities. By coming together we share not only bricks and mortar, but an understanding of the opportunities and responsibilities that come with a dual city operation.”
“Collaboration is at the foundation of bringing artistic vision to life onstage,” said Jeff Guldner, president of Arizona Public Service Company (APS). Guldner continued, “As an arts board member and business person, I appreciate that these two world class organizations have been able to integrate that spirit of partnership in a way that maximizes impact and reaches audiences across Arizona.”
Arizona Opera presents its McDougall RED Series each fall at the Herberger Theater Center and Temple of Music and Art. The 2019/20 Season will feature a new Taliesin West version of “Shining Brow,” about the tumultuous life of Frank Lloyd Wright, and “Fellow Travelers” a tale of forbidden love during the Lavender Scare and McCarthy era of the 1950s. Arizona Opera’s Main Stage Series will continue to be presented in Phoenix Symphony Hall and the Tucson Music Hall, featuring Puccini’s beloved classic “La Bohème,” followed by the return of Craig Bohmler and Steven Mark Kohn’s immensely popular “Riders of the Purple Sage,” and closing with Strauss’ masterpiece “Ariadne auf Naxos.”
“The Curtain Rises,” Arizona Theatre Company’s 2019/2020 Season, performing at the Herberger Theater Center and Temple of Music and Art, includes the international award-winning drama “The Royale.” In addition, the season will also feature Lauren Gunderson’s “Silent Sky,” the powerful musical love story “Cabaret,” Athol Fugard’s story of South Africa in the early years of apartheid, “Master Harold…and The Boys,” along with “The Legend of Georgia McBride,” a hilarious and heartwarming story, a co-production with Milwaukee Repertory Theater, and the riotous comedy, “Women in Jeopardy.”
