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28 n e w h a v e n B I Z | M a r c h 2 0 2 2 | n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m A r t s & B u s i n e s s By Frank Rizzo T he Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center in Old Saybrook has accomplished what some not- for-profit arts organizations oen struggle to achieve. It's turned steady profits — or in nonprofit financial terms, positive margins — and a growing customer base. For several years, "e Kate" — a performing arts center that operates on a $2 million budget and presents con- certs, lectures and films in addition to hosting a new museum dedicated to the late actress — has produced operating surpluses, many in the six-figures range, that have provided long-term financial stability and allowed the nonprofit to reinvest in its operations and program- ming. "One of the reasons we've grown is be- cause of the quantity of programming," said Brett Elliott, executive director since 2015. "We feel strongly about it. From the time I took over until now, gross ticket income has gone up 110 percent." Unlike some nonprofits, the cultural center also has no continuing debt. Surpluses go to a restricted endow- ment/reserve or to support future proj- ects and "make the customer experience better," said Robin Andreoli, director of development and community relations. When Elliott, now 35, took over there With new museum, more events 'e Kate' sees rise in attendance was just a two-person staff. e now four-person team includes box office and production managers and together they oversee 275 events annually at the 285-seat hall. In the last nine years attendance has grown from 26,000 to more than 45,000 people coming to the downtown Old Saybrook facility. Shows have included Judy Collins, Paula Poundstone, Peter Yarrow, Marty Stuart, stand-up comedi- ans, as well as HD-live broadcasts from the Metropolitan Opera and England's National eatre Live. is spring the cultural center's en- tertainment lineup will include Rickie Lee Jones, Marc Cohn, George Winston, Jimmy Webb, Janis Ian, Al Stewart and Herb Alpert and e Lovin' Spoonful. Managing through the pandemic e Kate, like all arts institutions, was impacted by the pandemic. It had to shut down for a period of time and then slowly rebuild its programming and attendance numbers. It has been able to remain in the black, avoid layoffs and maintain programming with the help of several federal government loan and grant programs. It received two Paycheck Protection Program loans totaling $243,182. It's also benefiting from just over $1 million in funding from the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program. "ese funds combined have really allowed us to maintain staff and con- tinue booking artists when there was no certainty around ticket sales," said Elliott. "We needed to get e Kate and artists back to work and this allowed us to make that commitment with less fear of the external conditions that we had no control over." In the fiscal years before the pandemic, e Kate reported six-figure surpluses. e center is expected to receive an attention boost with the recent opening of its new ground-floor Katharine Hep- burn Museum. e expansive perma- nent display includes personal letters, costumes, photographs and memora- bilia of the legendary Hartford-born actress who also made her home in the Fenwick section of Old Saybrook. e four-time Oscar-winning actress died in 2003 at the age of 96. e new 1,200-square-foot museum is located on the main floor of the center. Admission is free but donations are welcome. A matching grant campaign during the pandemic eventually raised $500,000 (including state and federal funds). Previously the first floor space show- cased a limited amount of memorabilia about the actress whose career as a star on the stage, screen and television began in the early 1930s and lasted more than 60 years. e center's main hall pres- ents concerts, lectures and films on its second and third floors. "Part of our mission is to sustain her legacy and that includes creating the 'Spirit of Katharine Hepburn Award,' " said Andreoli. e award was last given in-person in November to Sam Waterston and before that to Cher, virtually. Other recipients have included Glenn Close, Dick Cavett, Christine Baranski and Ann Nyberg. e next recipient will be awarded in August. "e award is a vehicle to show how Kate relates to current artists and to hear their stories of her impact on them — and to bring that to a younger genera- tion," said Andreoli. CPTV connection For the past six years CPTV has broadcast concerts from e Kate as part of its televised programming. "Being able to share what we do on this stage with 70 percent of national PBS markets is really important for e Kate's visibility," said Elliott. ough it does not receive direct financial aid from CPTV, "it certainly helps us gain attention for the center." Elliott said CPTV pays the artist be- cause of complex broadcast rights issues. "e CPTV partnership has helped to open avenues for new audiences," said Andreoli. "More members then want to support us, more sponsors, those kinds of things have grown along with it and contribute to the income side," she said. e Kate also rents out space to com- munity partners such as the Saybrook Stage Co., Broadway Kids & Co., Chest- nut Hill Concerts series and Eastern Connecticut Ballet. "We've worked really hard to get the [number of events] up with not a huge staff," said Andreoli. ough the number of shows and audiences are growing, budgeting is conservative, said Elliott, who hopes surpluses are redirected to increasing the staff. He would like to add a part-time preservationist/curator for the new mu- seum, a facilities person and an educa- tion director to expand youth services. e museum is not the only new high-profile attraction at the center. "We're working on KateCom," said Andreoli, "which will be a conference on Kate Hepburn for fans across the globe, hopefully for next year." n At A Glance The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center Industry: Performing arts nonprofit Top Executive: Brett Elliott, Executive Director HQ: 300 Main St., Old Saybrook Company Website: https://www. katharinehepburntheater.org/ Phone Number: 860-510-0473. Brett Elliott is the executive director and Robin Andreoli is the director of development and community relations at The Kate. 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