OUTLOOK 2013
Members of the Fond du Lac Community Theatre perform during dress rehearsals for Chateau la Roach in October, 2012. (TAIMA KERN/THE REPORTER MEDIA)
Theater venues offer intimate and grand scale experiences
Performing Arts Center Fond du Lac High School 801 Campus Drive Goodrich Little Theatre 72 W. Ninth St. Facility reservations: (920) 929-2740, ext. 3131
Two theaters operated by the Fond du Lac School District offer the community both comfort and style, and draw in nationally acclaimed performers.
Goodrich Little Theatre
PAC
Located at the Riverside Elementary School/District Administration Center complex, the 768-seat Little Theatre, a hallmark of the former Goodrich High School at Ninth and Linden streets, boasts an intimate setting modernized with state-of-the art theater equipment.
The Performing Arts Center at Fond du Lac High School is the largest theater in the area. The 1,025-person capacity auditorium with full lobby, mezzanine, box seating, an orchestra pit for 25 musicians, 60-foot fly with catwalk and enhanced support systems is anything but high school level. From show time through curtain call, the PAC offers grandeur in a unique theater. Each year the Fond du Lac Concert Association hosts its annual concert series at the PAC.
The more than 1,550 parking spaces supply easy access, while an elevator makes entry to the boxes and the mezzanine handicap accessible. The facility includes a 56-foot tower with mechanics to pull up and store large pieces of scenery. As a school district facility, the PAC is always busy, utilized by students for annual concerts and performances.
Over the last four years, about $350,000 has been spent on a new stage lighting system, house lighting system, wireless headset communication, and plush, reupholstered velvet seating, making it a popular setting for community plays and school performances. Fond du Lac’s Community Theater has made the Little Theatre its home. Theater Manager Steve Wilson said that since 2001, a ticket stipend has been in place that requires $1 of every ticket sold to replenish a fund used exclusively for theater maintenance and upkeep. Students from a high school stagecraft technician program operate both theaters. An endowment fund established by the Fond du Lac Area Foundation provides additional money for enhancements. Both venues are available for rental.
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Built in 2001 as part of the new Fond du Lac High School complex, the PAC was made possible by a $2.8 million donation funded by a campaign spearheaded by local business people.
Major renovations to Goodrich Little Theatre a few years back restored the longtime venue for small theater productions in Fond du Lac.
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