The Portland City Council has approved changing the name of Portland Center for the Performing Arts’ flexible-space venue from Brunish Hall to Brunish Theatre. The name change comes on the heels of a recently completed renovation that turned the space into a true black box theater designed to better serve local theater companies. The $16,000 project was funded by local actor and Broadway producer Corey Brunish and Stage Craft Industries. Brunish also made the initial naming donation to build out the unfinshed space in 2000 in honor of his mother.
PCPA executive director Robyn Williams is thrilled that the city approved the name change. "Renaming the venue Brunish Theatre allows this space to come full circle as a preformance space, which was the original vision when the building first opened," Williams said. "While it may seem like a small change, it dramatically raises the profile of the venue in the arts community."
Now that renovations are complete, Williams and her staff are busy showing the space to potential clients. "We are now open for business and looking forward to accomodating more community groups than ever before. We have a package for local non-profits that includes free rent!" she said.
Stumptown Stages, the first arts organization to bring its entire season to Brunish Theatre, is one group that will benefit from the renovation, which included expanding the performance grid by 10 feet and suspending black theatrical drapes throughout the room. The non-profit musical theater company will open their 2012-2013 season in October with "Dracula: A Musical Nightmare."