Nearly every Broadway hit you see today—shows like Hamilton, Jersey Boys, and Les Miserables—got their start in a regional theatre like The Phoenix Theatre Company! When it comes to pre-Broadway show development, Broadway producers choose to partner with theatre companies that are artistically strong, financially secure, and that have a technically sophisticated theatre capable of modeling a Broadway venue. With the construction of the new Stacie J. and Richard J Stephenson Theatre, The Phoenix Theatre Company is able to offer: 

Exceptional in-house production facilities including on-site scenic, properties, costume and paint shops as well as electrical and sound facilities. 
A new, technically sophisticated, 500-seat, Broadway-sized theatre. 
One of the strongest balance sheets of any nonprofit theatre in the country 

Pre-Broadway show development projects are attractive to top level talent. In addition to the element of fun this will inject into our local theatre-going experience, it will also attract cultural tourism, which has proven to be an economic boon to cities that have regional theatres with pre-Broadway show development programs, like San Diego, Minneapolis, Denver, St. Louis, Chicago and Seattle. And, if the show is a hit, it could potentially generate millions for us as the originating theatre, enabling further artistic and technical enhancement that would raise the bar for future audience experiences and catapult our theatre company into national prominence. 
 
Cultural tourism attracted by a strong pre-Broadway program at The Phoenix Theatre Company could have a multiplier effect on growth in local arts and culture and entertainment sectors. In a recent report, 75% of visitors cited culture as a top driver in destination choices. One study revealed that the cultural tourist spends 38% more per day and stays 22% longer than the average traveler. They search out the local cuisine, visit local bars and restaurants, shop for local crafts and buy from local artists. They want to experience local customs and lore, local celebrities, and historical sites. 
 
The Phoenix Theatre Company officially launched construction of our new theatre with a ceremonial groundbreaking on September 14, attended by Governor Katie Hobbs, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, and more than 200 campaign donors. We also hosted a hugely successful gala celebration on October 26 with this visionary project as its centerpiece. The Dr. Stacie J. and Richard J Stephenson Theatre is scheduled to open in mid-2025. 

We are also excited to report that on November 7, 2023, Phoenix voters approved a $500 million General Obligation (GO) Bond Program, which includes $6 million in urgently needed funds to build an ADA-compliant Arts Innovation and Training Wing adjacent to our existing production shops at the corner of Alvarado and Coronado. This addition will contain fully accessible rehearsal spaces, sized to support the new theatre, administrative offices, and educational facilities. It will be transformational for children with mobility issues who cannot currently participate in our summer theatre camp because our current rehearsal facilities are not ADA accessible and will enable us to employ artists and staff whose mobility is compromised.

This project is supported by many well-known philanthropists, locally and nationally, such as Steven Spielberg, Billie Jo and Judd Herberger, Mr. Richard J Stephenson and Dr. Stacie J. Stephenson, Bill Pope, Carole and Arte Moreno, Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust, The David E Reese Family Foundation, Linda Herman, Jeff and Nancy Werner, and Judith Hardes, as well as support from municipal, state and federal sources. We are sincerely, humbly grateful for the community’s continued strong financial support of this visionary effort.

There is incredible promise in what we are doing—onstage and in the community. We have the ability and the vision to build this legacy, while we contribute significantly to the economic and cultural development in this region for decades to come.