This could give thousands of Tri-Cities kids a better shot at Broadway

Construction of a new 300-seat theater is about to start in Richland.

Academy of Children's Theatre broke ground Tuesday on the project, which will transform the storage warehouse at its existing Wellsian Way facility into a theater.

"ACT, for a lot of kids, is a home away from home. They find (in it) a place where they can express themselves, where they can learn about the world in a safe environment," said Cathy Kelly, ACT board member.

The theater project will help with the lack of performing arts space in the Tri-Cities — a problem that's long plagued arts groups, which must jockey for stages.

"This has been a journey and we're so over-the-top excited about being able to do the groundbreaking today," said Kelly.

The Richland group is in the midst of a $1.5 million campaign for the expansion, with $250,000 raised so far. The goal is to have the theater ready for performances by 2020.

MH Construction is the contractor.

ACT formed more than 20 years ago and moved into its current facility in 2004, with plans to eventually add the new theater.

The existing black box theater at the facility will remain.

ACT puts on several main stage productions each season, with hundreds of kids from around the region participating.

It also offers numerous groups and classes, from improv ensembles to a "Tech Titans" program that teaches technical theater skills.

And ACT has outreach programs, such as Spectrum on Stage, which is for youth on the autism spectrum.

The theater group has a sizable network of alumni, many of whom have gone onto notable accomplishments.

Anne Spilman, ACT's managing director, is among them.

So is Tony nominee Santino Fontana, who's currently on Broadway in "Hello, Dolly!"

Despite the demand for more stage space in the Tri-Cities, a measure that would have added a 2,300-seat theater at the Toyota Center campus in Kennewick failed at the ballot box last year.

But a separate project — Vista Arts Center — is planned for Vista Field in Kennewick. Like ACT's theater project, it'll be paid for through donations and grants. Fundraising is under way.

The Vista Field and ACT projects won't overlap and instead will complement each other, officials have said.

Leaders of several performing arts groups were on hand for the ACT groundbreaking, along with Richland dignitaries.

Mayor Pro Tem Terry Christensen spoke.

"Congratulations to you," he told ACT leaders. "It's so exciting to see something like this happen."

To donate to ACT's fundraising campaign, go to academyofchildrenstheatre.org or call 509-943-6027.

This story was originally published May 1, 2018 at 6:09 PM with the headline "This could give thousands of Tri-Cities kids a better shot at Broadway."