TRAVERSE CITY -- Officials are quietly negotiating a partnership between the City Opera House in downtown Traverse City and the Wharton Center for Performing Arts at Michigan State University.
Any management agreement would require approval from the city, which owns the building.
The opera house underwent a multimillion restoration backed by a long-running community fundraising campaign. It now operates as a performance venue and is available for private rentals under the management of the City Opera House Heritage Association, a nonprofit group that raised money for its restoration.
Opera house officials have been engaged in a "strategic planning process" and started talks months ago with Wharton, said Bob Spence, co-chair of the opera house board. He would not elaborate on what a partnership between the two entities might entail.
"Negotiations are ongoing, and any discussions of unknowns would be premature," Spence said.
Wharton officials are also mum. Director of Communications Kent Love would only confirm that the center "is discussing a possible collaboration" with the opera house. Wharton has four venues in the Lansing area, and announced in October it would coordinate daily operations for Broadway Grand Rapids.
This season, Wharton's schedule includes Broadway shows such as "101 Dalmations: The Musical" and "The Phantom of the Opera;" big-name comedians Jerry Seinfeld and Jeff Foxworthy; and musical acts Wilco and Itzhak Perlman.
Wharton has some experience working with local arts organizations. In 2007, it presented a Latin American music program at the opera house. It also has offered programs in conjunction with local schools and the Dennos Museum Center, Love said.
The city leases the Victorian building to the City Opera House LLC, a private corporation created to qualify for historic preservation tax credits. The city would have to approve a management agreement, said Bryan Crough, community development director and the city's representative on the LLC. More information could come before the city commission during a study session on Nov. 23, he said. A reception with Wharton officials is also scheduled next week to "celebrate the pending partnership," stated an event invitation to commissioners.
A benefit to working with Wharton would be possibly spreading out acts it attracts, Crough said.
In 2008, the opera house's executive director Sheryl Hayward left the position for undisclosed reasons. Diana Barrie, who previously coordinated programs and events, is now listed as general manager.
A committee made up of members of the LLC and the heritage association is in negotiations with Wharton, which is moving "as quickly as possible," Spence said. He said the "local use and enjoyment of the facility" is "the focus" of the association.
"That is the reason we are going through these negotiations with Wharton, to try to make the venue better for the city," he said.
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