Stillwater Music is opening a performing arts theater at the end of September, said Executive Director Jeroen van Tyn.
The venue is being built next to the original Stillwater location at 1316 Main Ave.
He said it will be a soft opening, as the theater will be missing some components such as certain lights and sound system.
“Our goal is by the end of the year to have it fully open with the sound system and the theater lights in place,” van Tyn said.
Stillwater Music is a nonprofit organization dedicated to teaching music. It offers classes in music instruction covering multiple genres.
The opening of the Stillwater performing arts theater comes after the recent closure of the Smiley Theatre and the Henry Strater Theatre. The Henry Strater Theatre closed in 2020 after nearly 60 years, in part as a result of COVID-19 regulations.
Stillwater’s performing arts theater will be a 2,000-square-foot venue that will seat 120 to 150 people. The theater’s performance space will also feature sprung floors, which are shock absorbent floorboards commonly used in dance to reduce risk of injury.
The final product will feature flexible seating and a movable stage to accommodate a variety of performances.
“The intent is for this to be a widely used community resource for performers, individuals and organizations in our community,” van Tyn said.
Stillwater also intends to book outsider performers and musical artists for the venue for regional and national touring. However, van Tyn wants to wait until the theater is fully finished to start discussing those options.
He said the grand opening for the theater should be sometime later this year.
“I’m a professional musician and I know that the lack of venues for performing arts is something everybody is hurting from in this community. And so this is our answer to that problem,” he said.
Stillwater also received funding from the city of Durango’s lodgers tax, something van Tyn said made building the venue possible. He is excited because Stillwater does not teach lessons Friday through Sunday which means the venue will be open for concerts and shows on the weekends.
“The lodgers tax is helping make this space possible, and so we’re super excited about that,” he said. “I hope this space is used all of the time.”
tbrown@durangoherald.com
