By DAVE DOMESCIK | Staff Writer

PELHAM – South City Theatre, one of the premier homes for the arts in Shelby County, has received a $22,300 Creative Places Arts Facilities grant from the Alabama State Council on the Arts.

The grant will be used to fund improvements and additions to the venue’s sound equipment. The Creative Places Arts Facilities program strives to strengthen Alabama’s creative economy by providing grants for the construction, renovation, restoration or enhancement of arts facilities across the state.

The program is made possible through public funding, more specifically a special appropriation from the Alabama State Legislature. SCT will specifically use the funds to acquire a sound system for travel shows and improvements to the facility’s in-house sound system, all for the goal of improving the patron experience.

“We’ve needed to expand our current modest sound system for many years, but the cost has been prohibitive,” said Donna Williamson, the artistic director of SCT. “With this generous grant from Alabama State Council on the Arts, we can purchase the necessary equipment, including microphones and speakers, to give quality audio experiences for all our performances, no matter where we perform.”

Installation of the equipment and training is expected to be complete by the fall of 2025, with plans to utilize the new equipment this May. Lisa Ponder, the president of SCT, spoke further on what the grant means for the theatre.

“We are honored to receive this grant,” Ponder said. “Sound has been an issue for our facility for a while now. Budget constraints have prevented us from updating our systems. This generous grant will allow us to make those upgrades.”

With the upgrades benefiting both touring shows and in-theatre productions, Ponder spoke on why improving sound equipment was such a priority for SCT.

“On average, 30 percent of our mainstage productions tour each year,” Ponder said. “In addition, our summer camp is held off-site. The touring venues often have limited audio equipment. The new equipment enables us to give our patrons a more consistent experience in these venues.”

The new equipment is set to positively change the experience for patrons, especially increasing their ability to hear the performances.

“The venues we travel to vary in size and the acoustics can be challenging,” Ponder said. “Having the ability to mic our performers will improve this experience for our patrons. We have a significant number of mainstage patrons who experience some sort of hearing impairment. Our plan is to utilize new equipment to boost the sound for these patrons.”

Ponder believes that the improvements create even more opportunities for SCT to bring its shows to other facilities and organizations, and said that the grant emphasizes the value of community theater in Alabama today.

“The grant shows that the Alabama State Council on the Arts values theatres across the state,” Ponder said. “The creative spaces grants are meeting companies where they are at, providing an opportunity to fulfill individual needs that will enable them to reach a more diverse audience.”

Ponder concluded by emphasizing why public funding is so vital for organizations like SCT.

“All theatres were financially impacted during the COVID era and many did not recover,” Ponder said. “South City Theatre, which relies almost entirely on ticket sales for funding, could not have afforded to make these improvements without the generosity and support of the Alabama State Council on the Arts.”

For more information on South City Theatre, visit Southcitytheatre.com. For more information on the Alabama State Council on the Arts, visit Arts.alabama.gov.