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Ken Carter
EagleWing Theatre Company reports fundraising plans
By Steve Enders
Ken Carter, a seasoned opera performer who got his start in Memphis, showed off his preliminary plans to build a new, intimate theater in an old Village building, the historic barn behind Bella Saratoga and adjacent to the Saratoga Inn.
He told the Saratoga Business Development Council May 25 of the plans--a presentation the SBDC has been waiting months to hear. The SBDC meets every other month, and has had this item agendized without hearing much on the status of the proposal since the beginning of the year.
The theater has been under discussion for years. If it's built, it would house the EagleWing Theatre Company, or ETC, a smaller repertoire theater group. No applications have been filed with the city yet, but Carter said he has a goal of opening the theater two years from now. Carter said he hopes to file planning applications once the entire community gets behind the idea.
To do that, he's planning on setting up meetings with Bella Saratoga owner Bill Cooper and neighbors surrounding the Village for neighborhood coffees, but the two haven't set a date yet.
Carter also announced to the SBDC that the theatre company has just received its status as a nonprofit organization, and can now begin a larger fundraising drive. He said about $2 million will be needed to complete the project.
"The pre-fundraising is done," Carter told the SBDC, adding that it will pay for appraisals, architectural work and grant writers who are trying to find more money for the company.
Renovating the old, dilapidated barn would take a lot of careful work. It's considered a historic building by the city but is also uninhabitable. Old yellow paint is peeling off the front.
As one of the only three-story buildings in the downtown area, the barn would be perfect for theater use, Carter believes. A group of other actors visiting Saratoga for a conference some years ago first suggested that the town would be ideal for a small theater.
Carter agreed, and has been pursuing the idea ever since, focusing on the barn because of its height and location.
The barn used to house the Sam Cloud Hay and Feed Warehouse. Built in the early 1900s, it's only used for some storage now. Carter said his architect is working on keeping the design similar to what it is now to appease neighbors and the city. One conceptual drawing shows the front complete with an old water wheel, a throwback to old logging days.
A small expansion of the existing floor plan is also planned.
One of the problems, as business owners often complain about in the Village, is parking. Carter said he understands the concerns neighbors might have with parking and traffic issues a theater might bring to the downtown area, but is committed to easing those fears. He said he's also in discussions with Villa Montalvo and West Valley College to try and come to a solution by using buses or shuttles, to keep so many cars off the streets of the Village.
But what Carter and those other business owners do want in the Village are more people, he said. If the theater is built, he'd like to offer promotional deals with downtown merchants and restaurants to boost business. By offering coupons and arranging dinners with downtown restaurants, the entire Village could benefit from the theater.
"We don't want to flood downtown with people, but with 200 people at a time," Carter said, "it would give a nice nudge to the businesses down there."
Carter said he hopes to host afternoon matinees during the week, primarily for seniors and historical presentations, and would hold other showings during the evenings on weekends.
Carter is now a part-time music director at Saratoga Presbyterian Church and is also a member of many regional theatrical and music organizations.
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Saratoga, California Since 1975
