New Survey to Shape the Future of Ventura County Dance, Theatre, and Music Nonprofits

VENTURA, Calif. - June 14, 2023 - PRLog -- Pacific Festival Ballet, New West Symphony and 5-Star Theatricals, the three resident companies of the Bank of America Performing Arts Center (BAPAC) in Thousand Oaks, in partnership with TOArts, are asking Ventura County residents to complete a brief survey to inform future performances and continue their legacy.

The survey is part of a TOArts audience development initiative, a three-year campaign to gain insights into audiences' expectations regarding customer experience and preferences and increase awareness of the value each company, TOArts and BAPAC provides to Ventura County.

Ventura County residents are encouraged to take the short (7-minute) survey at: https://tinyurl.com/TOArts23. (https://tinyurl.com/TOArts23) Each participant can opt into a competition to win free tickets for select upcoming performances.

"We are delighted to support New West Symphony, Pacific Festival Ballet, and 5-Star Theatricals. These resident companies provide exceptional live performances that more local people should enjoy and celebrate. This audience development initiative fits with TOArts' mission to enrich lives and strengthen the fabric of the community through arts education and support visual and performing arts and beyond," said Niki Richardson, Associate Director, TOArts. "We encourage everyone to please respond to this survey. It is key to our rich, local cultural arts product at BAPAC".

In a National Estimate of the Economic Impact of Arts and Cultural Organizations (https://www.americansforthearts.org/sites/default/files/pdf/2017/by_program/reports_and_data/aep5/map/CA_CityOfThousandOaks_AEP5_OnePageSummary.pdf), the City of Thousand Oaks estimated that the nonprofit Arts and Cultural Arts industry generated (https://www.americansforthearts.org/sites/default/files/pdf/2017/by_program/reports_and_data/aep5/map/CA_CityOfThousandOaks_AEP5_OnePageSummary.pdf) $12,812,741. This figure would include larger visiting performances on national/state tours, but these rarely provide educational opportunities to youth and children and others in need.

The economic value of the three arts organizations to their local community is considerable. In the past five years, the New West Symphony has donated $1.07 million in tickets to seniors, children, youth, and people in need. Pacific Festival Ballet has provided free performances and tickets worth $1.05 million, and 5-Star Theatricals has provided tickets valued at more than $1,000,000. TOArts provides training, grants, tickets, and support of more than $350,000 annually.

These figures do not include audience spending in local businesses before/after performances. In addition, performing arts must not be valued through their economic contribution alone. Arts transform the lives of children, individuals, and communities, contributing to health, well-being, and overall resilience within Ventura County.

"We encourage all Ventura County residents to answer this short survey," said David Yoshitomi, the County of Ventura's Arts & Culture Manager. "Your input will assist TOArts and the three resident companies in understanding the needs and tastes of the communities they serve, which is vital to the sustainability of cultural arts programs within our county."