By Cheryl Alexander

For the last several years, January in Sugar Land has been marked by the Founders’ Ball of the Sugar Land Cultural Arts Foundation (SLCAF), a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of the cultural arts in the city. The purpose of the Founders’ Ball fundraising efforts is to preserve and restore the historic Sugar Land Auditorium (SLA), the last remaining public building of the original company-owned town of Sugar Land and the only building left from the original Sugar Land Independent School District #17. Sugar Land Auditorium’s story is very much a part of the history of Imperial Sugar Company and the early settlement of Fort Bend County.

In 1912, Imperial Sugar Company erected a small, two-room wooden building at the corner of Wood and Lakeview (then 3rd St.) to serve as a school during the week and as a church facility for all faiths on Sundays. It soon became apparent that the original two-room wooden building was not going to meet the needs of the growing community for long.

In 1916, a new school was erected on the north bank of Cleveland Lake on land donated by Imperial Sugar. The total cost for the beautiful new campus, consisting of 11 buildings, was $100,000. The original cost of the beautiful auditorium was $25,000. All the buildings were finished in white stucco on the outside and had large windows that allowed fresh air to circulate and cool the buildings. The superintendent’s office was at the front of the auditorium and there was an apartment for the custodian on the second floor of the auditorium. Not designated a school district at the time of construction, the expense was totally funded by Imperial Sugar Company.

There is no doubt that the auditorium was one of the earliest and finest auditoriums available on a public school campus in 1918. The auditorium had a raised stage and a large movie screen and projector and originally seated 500. The community would gather there to watch films —which were originally silent movies — for dances that were held on the flat-tile rooftop, and for other events.

In 1993 the auditorium was given a historical marker from the Texas Historical Society, as well as a marker for Sugar Land Independent School District #17. These markers, as well as the original preservation and restoration efforts, were made possible by the work of Jane McMeans as President of the Sugar Land Heritage Society. The society has raised over $50,000 for the restoration effort.

Although in good condition, the building required significant work to meet current laws and building codes. With the energy and vision of Bridget Yeung, city council member and community volunteer, the Sugar Land Cultural Arts Foundation was formed in 1999 to raise the additional funds required for restoration of the auditorium, to develop policies for the use of the building, and to protect the investment for future generations.

Outstanding Support

From the very beginning, the SLCAF received outstanding support from generous members of the community, including Fort Bend ISD, which agreed to provide the air conditioning; the City of Sugar Land which gave $100,000; and the George Foundation, which established a $50,000 matching grant. Additionally, Houston Endowment, Inc. awarded the SLCAF with a $100,000 Challenge Grant in 2006.

Phase 1 renovations focused on repairing and upgrading the interior of the auditorium. They included installation of HVAC for the first time ever and renovation of the entrance to the building, removing the superintendent’s office and the kindergarten room. This renovation allowed for addition of the current SLA lobby. Chairs in the auditorium were refinished and some were eliminated in order to make room for handicap seating and state-of-the-art sound/light boards. Finally, to complete Phase I, the beautiful cove ceiling was restored.

The SLCAF continued to increase fundraising efforts. Fort Bend ISD included some restoration items in its bond election, and the City of Sugar Land agreed to grant an additional $135,000 for Phase II. The group also garnered a grant from an anonymous organization to pay for the replacement of the balustrades. John Yeung, a registered architect, donated his time and helped with the design of the backstage addition.

Phase II restoration efforts commenced with the renovation of the building’s exterior, the construction of a backstage area (changing rooms, restrooms and a “green room”) which greatly increased the opportunities to attract quality performers, along with provision for handicap access to the stage and upgraded lighting and landscaping.

From the completion of Phase II in 2009 until late 2012, Sugar Land Auditorium averaged six to eight small, single-performance community events annually (including two or three FBISD events each year) and had less than a minimal number (by any professional standard) of stage lights and other standard and necessary pieces of stage equipment. The SLCAF decided to hire a professional to take on the management of the auditorium.Chad Muska was hired as executive director, and SLA is now full of community life, just like it was in the early 20th century.

Since January 2013, SLCAF has increased the frequency of diverse programming at SLA to about 85-90 percent capacity (Thursdays through Sundays, year-round). In this vein, the group has produced, presented and partnered on 14 full-scale musicals, an original production that went on to a two-week run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland, more than a dozen multi-cultural dance and music performances, the production and filming of 12 episodes of Southern India’s version of “American Idol,” five Chautauqua Talks, 10 weeks of youth theatre camps and a chamber concert by the renowned 40-piece River Oaks Chamber Orchestra. Quite a marquee!

Recently, SLCAF presented the live concert event, “An Evening with Billy Stritch,” at the venue on Oct. 26. In a dedication ceremony following Stritch’s performance that night, the Foundation officially dedicated and named the theater’s 100-year-old stage “The Billy Stritch Stage” at Sugar Land Auditorium.

Upgrades Galore

The SLCAF has added a lobby art gallery featuring the work of local artists (on a monthly rotation) and hired a staff of theater artists who have elevated every area of production values as well as the quality of the events held on SLA’s historic stage. Additionally, the SLCAF has successfully quadrupled the stage lighting and technical capacity of the venue, upgraded the audio equipment, added custom floor-to-ceiling window treatments throughout the auditorium – which look fabulous and now allow for complete control of the dramatic lighting inside the theater space — and incorporated numerous other upgrades in the ongoing strategic plan to raise and maintain the SLA to a competitive professional quality venue.

Moving forward, SLCAF’s vision and strategy for Sugar Land Auditorium has several major projects planned including the continued development of its professional capabilities and general beautification. The future includes custom seat cushions for auditorium seating, red carpets for the aisles and entry, gardens and exterior lighting. Plans are in the works for “The Crown Café” in the lobby which will serve gourmet coffee, tea, juices, pastries, sandwiches, etc., and which will be open daily.

Plans also include the purchase of a cinema projector and screen in order to feature weekly movies shown between live shows including a classic film series, Texas filmmaker premieres and a summer repertory film program. A series of annual concerts by Billy Stritch and his celebrity friends are also on the calendar. Eventually the venue will include a large plaza in front of SLA, which will allow for production of professional outdoor events and concerts, such as a spring concert by the New Orleans Heritage Jazz Band.

As the Foundation continues to raise funds needed for the final phase of construction, it also collaborates with other community groups such as the Sugar Land Artists’ Alliance, ArtReach, Sugar Creek Garden Club and the Sugar Land Heritage Foundation. The Foundation also relies heavily on community support. The biggest fundraiser of the year is the annual Founders’ Ball. This year’s event, “Ladies & Gentlemen, Billy Stritch” will be held on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 6:30 p.m. at the Safari Texas Ballroom. Individual tickets and sponsorships are available. For more information, call 832-531-2639 or email [email protected].

Broadway on the Bend