VPA sets season ticket record

Halfway through Valley Performing Arts' 28th season, the community theater group finds itself in good position, as 462 season tickets have been sold, bettering the previous best set three years ago.

Thirty percent of all seats sold during a production's typical nine-show run are now season tickets, giving VPA not only an economic boost, but also a confidence boost as well.

"Years ago the thought on season tickets was that you'd go door to door and people would buy season tickets as a way to support the arts, but they wouldn't show up," said VPA Managing Producer John Fairfield. "But we need those bodies as much as the money. In the recent past, and by that I mean the last five to eight years or so, we've been able to develop a corps of people that purchase season tickets and show up. It's very comforting for actors to know there are going to be people in the seats each night."

The importance of season tickets is that it supplies VPA with some much-needed capital in the beginning of the season, allowing the group the flexibility to do more things in future productions, as well as projects that benefit the community as a whole.

"The season ticket holder trusts us to put together good productions in the future, and we have to do just that," Fairfield said.

With three shows completed already this season and four more to go, VPA is already on pace to break last year's attendance records.

Part of it has to do with VPA becoming more and more recognized for good, community theater, as well as this season's lineup of productions, which has been well received, both by season ticket holders and buy those who purchase their tickets individually.

The Sound of Music helped get the season off to a rousing success, and each show has followed with similar successful runs, Fairfield said.

VPA heads to the

small stage -- school gymnasiums

VPA is taking its productions on the road, beginning today. Once Upon a Wolf is a four-person children's theater that is going into local schools to give students exposure to the arts.

"The idea is to take to schools a light set and introduce children to the joys of live theater in contrast to the two-dimensional art they are accustomed to, like movies and videos," Fairfield said.

The idea came a few years ago, when Larson Elementary School principal Karl Schleich was enthused about the possibility.

"He said, 'hey guys, you really need to do this, it'd be great,'" Fairfield said. "There was demand, and Larry Bottjen was ready to do the production end. They needed a catalyst to produce the show, and that is VPA."

The four-person cast includes Bottjen, Rachel Underwood, Dara Butcher and Eric Behm.

Today they are putting on a preview show at Tanaina Elementary. Already, Fairfield said there are seven different school slated for the production, and he has already started fielding calls from teachers in Anchorage who are interested.

The shows take place in the gymnasiums, but the audience is limited.

"We need a large set, but we don't want crowds so large that the students can't interact with the actors and feel like part of the show," Fairfield said. "That's why we're doing this in the first place."