Temple of Music and Art

The Temple of Music and Art is a historic theater and movie theater in Tucson, Arizona, United States. It is best known today as the Tucson venue associated with Arizona Theatre Company (ATC), the Official State Theatre of Arizona and the state's only LORT (League of Resident Theatres) professional regional theatre. ATC's Tucson operations, donor programs, and mainstage activity are tied to the Temple of Music and Art address and identity, and the organization's website lists the Temple as its Tucson home. Arizona Theatre Company was established as Arizona Civic Theatre in 1967 by Sandy Rosenthal and a group of civic and business leaders concerned about the decline of community theatre activity in Tucson. Its first season consisted of four productions presented in the ballroom of the Santa Rita Hotel, with total attendance of 4,000 and an operating budget of $8,000. In 1972 the company moved into the little theatre of the newly completed Tucson Community Center, a 526-seat semi-thrust theatre with rehearsal, costume, and scenic construction shop space. Over the following decades ATC grew into a major regional theatre serving both Tucson and the Phoenix metropolitan area, and it now performs in Tucson at the Temple of Music and Art. As a nonprofit since 1966 and the Official State Theatre of Arizona, ATC reaches more than 130,000 patrons annually through mainstage productions, student matinees, and community initiatives, including its National Latine Playwrights Award and Festival. The company is led by Kasser Family Artistic Director Matt August and Executive Director Ana Rose O'Halloran. Ticket sales and subscriptions cover about 40% of the budget, with the remainder coming from contributions, and ATC maintains structured donor circles ranging from the Producer's Circle to the Artistic Angels level. The Temple of Music and Art itself is a historic Tucson landmark whose dual identity as a theater and movie theater is recorded in public knowledge bases. Its stage hosts ATC's Tucson mainstage season, donor events, Page to Stage events, Play Workshop/Readings, and Opening Night Celebrations. The venue's address and identity are closely associated with ATC's Tucson giving circles and patron benefits, including recognition in the playbill and on lobby screens, complimentary season parking, Cheers tickets, and Guest Passes.

The Temple of Music and Art is a historic theater and movie theater in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Its modern identity is closely tied to Arizona Theatre Company (ATC), which uses the Temple as its Tucson home. ATC was established as Arizona Civic Theatre in 1967 by Sandy Rosenthal and a group of civic and business leaders concerned about the demise of community theatre activity in Tucson. In November 1966, Rosenthal and like-minded citizens announced plans for the Arizona Civic Theater, with a year-round season and productions for children; the first plays were staged the following summer. In 1967, a grant from the Arizona Commission on the Arts helped launch the company, and its first production, Generation, opened in the Santa Rita Hotel's basement in July, directed by Founding Artistic Director Rosenthal. The first season consisted of four productions presented in the ballroom of the Santa Rita Hotel, with total attendance of 4,000 and an operating budget of $8,000. The following year, the newly formed Arizona Commission on the Arts and Humanities awarded its first grant to the theatre. In the 1970s, the company entered a decade of growth. In 1972, it moved into the little theatre of the newly completed Tucson Community Center. The new facility contained a 526-seat semi-thrust theatre and offered rehearsal, costume, and scenic construction shop space. Also in that season, the company received its first grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, designated to assist in hiring its first Equity actors under a Guest Artist Contract. Over the following decades, ATC expanded its reach across Arizona, becoming a cornerstone of the state's cultural life and serving both Tucson and the Phoenix metropolitan area. It is now recognized as the Official State Theatre of Arizona and the state's only LORT (League of Resident Theatres) professional regional theatre. Today, ATC performs its Tucson mainstage season at the Temple of Music and Art. The organization is a nonprofit, active since 1966, and reaches more than 130,000 patrons annually through mainstage productions, student matinees, and community initiatives, including its National Latine Playwrights Award and Festival. It is led by Kasser Family Artistic Director Matt August and Executive Director Ana Rose O'Halloran. Ticket sales and subscriptions cover about 40% of the budget, with the remainder coming from contributions. ATC maintains donor giving circles with benefits such as recognition in the playbill and on lobby screens, complimentary season parking, Cheers tickets, Guest Passes, and invitations to Page to Stage events, Play Workshop/Readings, and Opening Night Celebrations. The Temple of Music and Art thus serves as both a historic Tucson landmark and the operational and artistic home of ATC's Tucson activities.

• 1972

  The company moves into the little theatre of the newly completed Tucson Community Center, a 526-seat semi-thrust theatre with rehearsal, costume, and scenic construction shop space; it also receives its first National Endowment for the Arts grant to hire its first Equity actors under a Guest Artist Contract.

• 1968

  The newly formed Arizona Commission on the Arts and Humanities awards its first grant to the theatre.

• 1967

  A grant from the Arizona Commission on the Arts helps launch the company; Generation, its first production, opens in the Santa Rita Hotel's basement in July, directed by Founding Artistic Director Rosenthal.

• 1966

  In November, Sandy Rosenthal and a group of like-minded citizens announce plans for the Arizona Civic Theater, with a year-round season and productions for children.

Historic Tucson theater and movie theater serving as the Tucson home of Arizona Theatre Company, Arizona's Official State Theatre and only LORT professional regional theatre.

• Mainstage theatrical productions

• Student matinees

• National Latine Playwrights Award and Festival

• Page to Stage events

• Play Workshop/Readings

• Donor giving circles (e.g., Artistic Angels, Ovation Circle, Spotlight Circle, Artistic Director's Circle, Producer's Circle)

1. 1ATC Donor Levels and Benefits - Tucson - Arizona Theatre Companyatc.org
2. 2ATC History - Arizona Theatre Companyatc.org
3. 3About ATC - Arizona Theatre Companyatc.org
4. 4Our Staff - Arizona Theatre Companyatc.org
5. 5Temple of Music and Art - Wikidatawikidata.org