uniquely austin

uniquely zach

t h e z a c h t h e at r e c a p i ta l c a m pa i g n
unique V i s i o n

Overland Partners Architects

Soon, there will be a new ZACH on the terraced banks of Lady Bird Lake—a comprehensive campus of
performance spaces, educational rooms, production facilities and administrative offices. The only theatre
complex of its kind in Austin, the new ZACH will be a welcome home for patrons and professionals, a place
that continues to offer a unique theatre experience that ignites the imagination, lifts the spirit and creates
meaningful dialogues that engage our community.

Now, ZACH is calling on the community

to help us turn this vision into a reality.

t h e z a c h t h e at r e c a p i ta l c a m pa i g n
is for Zach
As the oldest resident theatre in Texas, ZACH has been integral to
Austin since 1933. Each season, we welcome more than 120,000
patrons for more than 400 performances. ZACH offers an unequalled
depth and breadth of productions, from musicals to dramas, to world
premieres. Over its distinguished seventy-five year history, ZACH has
been the most award-winning arts organization in Central Texas.

There’s no question that ZACH has established a proven track record

of financial success and steady growth. However, growth has occurred
at a pace that has exceeded the expansion of ZACH’s facilities. In
recent years, ZACH has had to take its larger productions off-site in
order to have the technical capabilities and audience capacity required
for professional production quality. The Kleberg Stage was built in 1972
as a community theatre and cannot support ZACH’s current demands
for a modern, professional theatre. It has no fly, wing or trap space, and
a limited backstage area.

Much of ZACH’s set construction currently takes place outdoors, at the

mercy of the heat and the weather. Many of ZACH’s classes and camps
are currently housed in temporary, portable classrooms and have long
waiting lists. Modern facilities are necessary if ZACH is to continue
to offer professional productions and answer the growing needs of
the Austin community.

“I’m fortunate to have an extraordinary artistic home at

ZACH. The opportunity to collaborate with the artistic team
is a gift beyond compare! I can’t imagine the man I’d be
without the solid foundation of ZACH in my life.”

Martin Burke | Actor

Well before ZACH’s production Keepin’ It Weird, ZACH was doing its
part to celebrate everything that’s unique and wonderful about our
city. Under the artistic direction of Dave Steakley, ZACH purposefully
makes art that creates the opportunity for meaningful conversations
on topics that have resonance in our community, celebrating the
diversity of voices that attracts people to our city. In 2007, ZACH
staged the first bilingual production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Jesus
Christ Superstar, which quickly became one of the most popular
musicals in ZACH’s history, generating more email, phone calls and
letters than all productions from the past 16 years combined, while
growing ZACH’s diverse audience.

One need only take a drive down Lamar Boulevard to experience

Austin’s explosive growth. More than 60,000 cars pass ZACH every
day. Downtown has 7.3 million square feet of development currently
under construction, and that will bring approximately 8,500 new
residents to the area.* As our city grows, so do the expectations on
ZACH and its facilities. The timing is right for ZACH to experience
measured growth and to meet the increasing demands of our
productions and the community.

Happily, the citizens of Austin support this growth, as evidenced by

their enthusiastic support of Proposition 4, a bond that granted ZACH
$10 million toward the creation of a new theatre. ZACH is honored
to build on this momentum, backed by arts patrons and civic,
community and neighborhood leaders who understand how the arts
contribute to making Austin a greater city.

*Source: City of Austin Downtown Plan Joint Commission Briefing, January 9, 2008
is for A U S TIN

Prop 4 Gets ZACH Halfway There

In 2006, Austin voters enthusiastically passed Proposition 4, a bond that
gave ZACH $10 million toward the construction of a new theatre.

Now, ZACH needs your support to get the rest of the way there.
 is for CREATI V E

ZACH launched the national 365 Plays/365 Days festival with Pulitzer
playwright Suzan-Lori Parks on Austin’s Pfluger pedestrian bridge.

M ade i n Aust i n
The set for ZACH’s bilingual production of Jesus Christ Superstar was
comprised of over 50 large scale mosaics created by Austin artists. This mosaic
was created by scenic designer Michael B. Raiford in memory of his mother.
C O MM U NIT Y

ZACH is a theatre for the community, but it’s hardly community theatre. For the past 20
years, ZACH has been Austin’s premier professional theatre and has actively preserved the
creative capital in our city by annually employing more than 300 local actors, designers,
directors, choreographers, musical directors, musicians, artists and technicians. Rather
than bringing in sets and costumes from New York or Los Angeles, almost everything that
goes into a ZACH production is actually made in Austin. Ninety five percent of the actors
and musicians on stage live in our community. ZACH incubates original works, cultivating
and producing new plays and musicals by playwrights and composers primarily from
Central Texas, for maximum community involvement.

ZACH’s support of creative endeavors isn’t limited to the professionals who work here. Its
four educational programs serve over 50,000 students annually, more than half of whom are
deemed at risk for not completing high school. Studies have shown that children who study
the arts are four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement,* while
children who participate specifically in drama score 40 percent higher in written and verbal
standardized tests.** ZACH’s extensive outreach and education programs spark creative
potential in students young and old, offering many people their only experience with live
theatre. Like Austin, we value the creative capital of each individual.

*Source: National Governors Association Center for Best Practices

**Source: Champions for Change: The Impact of Art on Learning
 Overland Partners Architects

ZACH’s new home on the banks of Lady Bird Lake will put the exclamation point on the
city’s arts district. Designed by award-winning Overland Partners Architects, the clustered
campus will hum with the synergy of having all production, education and outreach
activities in one place.

The cornerstone of the new campus is a state-of-the-art, 500-seat theatre with

professional performance capabilities. A grand lobby with huge windows will overlook
the Austin skyline and terraced steps will connect the building with the greenbelt below.
Patrons will enjoy additional parking, attractive and plentiful restrooms and easily
accessible bar and lounge areas.

The new theatre offers efficiencies that will streamline the cost of mounting new
productions. Because of the additional seats, more people will be able to see a show
in a shorter period of time. ZACH has also found significant cost savings by purchasing
and converting a neighboring building into a new production and rehearsal space, thus
lowering the overall campus project cost by millions of dollars.

The new theatre’s Karen Kuykendall Stage will include a fly tower and a reconfigurable
stage with traps, allowing ZACH to mount logistically difficult productions that until
now have been hosted at off-site venues. The theatre will retain the intimacy and spirit
that ZACH is known for—even the back row of wide, comfortable seats will be only 60
feet from the stage. State-of-the-art acoustics and lighting will complete the theatrical
experience for both actors and patrons.

ZACH’s new Production and

Creativity Center on Toomey Road

Michael Hsu Design Office

 is for H O ME

PATIO AND TERRACED STEPS

VIP
LOUNGE
LOBBY

CONCESSIONS
a n a ust i n d iva
BOX
OFFICE In celebration of the extraordinary
CATERING KITCHEN

life and work of Karen Kuykendall,

WOMEN ZACH is honored to name the
stage in the new theatre after
Austin’s most beloved actress and
HOUSE
community treasure. Remembered
MEN for performances as far-ranging
as Andy Warhol in Rocky Horror
to Diana Vreeland in Full Gallop,
DRESSING ROOM

Kuykendall inspired Austin

with her talent for more than
KAREN KUYKENDALL
STAGE five decades.

LOADING

COVERED PRODUCTION GREEN R R DRESSING ROOM

LOADING OFFICE ROOM

“Thank you for the positive, pro-active, hard-working, process-honoring

atmosphere you have created. Never have I seen the word ‘YES’ so
activated, amplified and cultivated. The YES in ZACH’s walls is as palpable as
the walls themselves. That YES, I believe, will lead to something brand new,
perhaps to connect with a broader more global environment as audience.”

Anna Deveare Smith | Actor & Playwright

 In the heart of

a us t i n
there’s a place that
reminds the city of its

sou l
t h e zach t h e a t r e capi t a l campai g n

Just as Austin looks to ZACH for entertainment and inspiration, ZACH depends on Austin to remain
a vibrant, relevant voice in the community. Today, we ask for your support. With your contribution, we
will move ZACH forward and continue to serve as a home for creativity, opportunity and imagination.

Plenty O’ Somethin’
ZACH’s landmark production of Porgy and Bess
drew national media attention, including the
cover page of The New York Times Arts and
Leisure section. Staged off-site at the Austin
Music Hall to accommodate technical needs
and increased audience size, Porgy and Bess
was seen by 1,000 people nightly during its
two-week run. National Endowment for the Arts
Deputy Chairman Robert Frankel attended, as
did members of the Gershwin family, who lauded
ZACH’s innovative staging and re-orchestration
of the original score. “I am so proud of what
ZACH did for our Porgy and Bess!” said Michael
Strunsky, nephew of Ira Gershwin and Trustee of
the Ira and Leonore Gershwin Fund.
ZACH PR O D UCTI O N IMAGE S
Front Cover Beehive
Page 3
Page 4
Rockin’ Christmas Party
Keepin’ It Weird
UNIQUE for
75 YEARS

2009 2006 2001 1998 1997 1991 1976 1972 1967 1943 1933
Ain’t Nothin’ But the Blues ZACH begins operations as the Austin Little Theater with
Hair popular melodramas and American classics
Page 5 Jesus Christ Superstar
Page 6 365 Plays/365 Days
Page 7 Alicia in Wonderland Name changed to Austin Civic Theatre where future stars like
Aida Jayne Mansfield and Mary Louise Parker will be discovered
Page 9 Full Gallop
Page 10 Crowns
Rocky Horror Austin Civic Theatre re-named in honor of Zachary Scott, an Austin-
Porgy and Bess reared actor who enjoyed a successful Hollywood film career
Back Cover Full Gallop
Rockin’ Christmas Party
Clean House Completion of the Kleberg Stage, an 8,000-square-foot theatre
Doubt facility with a 200-seat thrust stage
Smokey Joe’s Cafe

ZACH’s Project InterAct begins bringing live theatre to Austin-

area schools

Completion of the 130-seat Whisenhunt Arena Stage, costume

shop, offices and education complex. Hit shows like Beehive
and Sheer Madness open

Love, Janis is created at ZACH and goes on to

Chicago,Cleveland and a successful off-Broadway run

Tony Kushner’s epic, 6-hour Angels in America becomes the

highest attended play in Austin

Two world premieres: a musical Jouét by Allen Robertson

transfers to Actors Theatre of Louisville and a play Circumference
of a Squirrel transfers to Los Angeles’ Mark Taper Forum

ZACH is included on the Austin City BOND for $10 million

toward a New Theatre and Creativity Center – BOND
successfully passes!

ZACH celebrates its 75th Anniversary with national recognition

from The New York Times for Porgy and Bess and the largest
individual contributions in its history and becomes a launching
pad for future Broadway productions

insert for business card

AC K N O W LEDGMENT S & CREDITS
Design | Clutch Creative
Copywriting | Maggie Stephens
Photography | Kirk R. Tuck
Michael Raiford
Sung Park
Jack Thielepape/jmtimages ZACH LEADERSHIP:
Renderings | Overland Partners Architects Dave Steakley | Producing Artistic Director
Michael Hsu Design Office Elisbeth Challener | Managing Director
t h e z a c h t h e at r e c a p i ta l c a m pa i g n

uniquely austin

uniquely zach

1510 Toomey Road

Austin, Texas 78704
Phone: (512) 476-0594
Fax: (512) 476-0314
www.zachtheatre.org