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The Name Game

The city of Richmond's performing arts complex will be known as Richmond CenterStage , the Virginia Performing Arts Foundation announced Monday afternoon.

The group decided on the name after receiving a recommendation from Brightmark, a branding and consulting firm. The firm arrived at the name after interviewing more than 90 people in the Richmond metropolitan area regarding their perception of local performing arts.

"One of the things we learned was we needed to broaden the definition of performing arts," said Bob Mooney , active executive director of VAPAF. "We needed to make sure the people saw the name of the complex as something that resonated with a degree of energy and excitement."

The one-on-one sessions that Brightmark conducted with Richmond citizens, Mooney said, confirmed the foundation's belief that the arts complex was really about the city's citizens. And the name - Richmond CenterStage - is meant to connote that the complex is in the center of the city and the arts district, Mooney said. Mayor L. Douglas Wilder's performing arts committee had no role in choosing the name, according to Mooney. Jerry Samford , chairman of the Alliance for the Performing Arts and a member of the foundation's board of directors, said he thinks the name is appropriate.

"There are so many different things you can put on the center stage," he said. "I see it as a very inclusive kind of thing. It could be anybody from Bruce Hornsby to Baby Huey."

The complex will comprise the Carpenter Center, along with two smaller venues – Rhythm Hall and the Libby Gottwald Community Playhouse.

Rhythm Hall, according to Mooney, will play host to a variety of performing groups, including jazz combos, dance troupes and shows put on by the Elegba Folklore Society , among other things. Mooney said the playhouse is primarily intended for small, non-profit theater groups, as well as small musical performances.

"Rhythm Hall and the playhouse are very flexible in the fact that they can be configured in a lot of different ways," Mooney said.

The music hall and the playhouse will be located in the old Thalhimer's building, along East Grace Street.

In the press statement issued by VAPAF on Monday, foundation chairman Jim Ukrop said the new complex will double the amount of performance space at that location. "The excitement is building as this project gets closer to becoming a reality," he stated.

The foundation still needs to raise $9 million for the $65 million project.

In the press statement, the foundation also reported that Dominion Resources has pledged $1.5 million toward the project; Richmond resident Austin Ligon contributed $500,000 toward the project; and a local foundation made an anonymous donation of $500,000.

In addition, The Genworth Foundation , the charitable giving arm of Genworth Financial, Inc., recently announced a grant of $750,000 to fund the Genworth Bright Lights Education Center at the complex.

Mooney said the foundation is highly confident that the additional $9 million would be raised by year's end.

In its May interim report, the mayor's committee set the fall of 2009 as the completion date for renovations on the Carpenter Center. The committee's final report to the mayor is due Dec. 31, 2006.