IMPROVE ZELLERBACH HALL

Campaign Goal: Improve Zellerbach Hall to better serve the needs of today's artists and audiences.

Cal Performances' main presenting venue, Zellerbach Hall, is nearly forty years old but remains an exceptional facility for the presentation and viewing of multidisciplinary performing arts. Built in 1968, the 2,000-seat auditorium accommodates large productions of dance, theater and opera, as well as recitals, lectures and nonmusical performances. Yet the growth of Cal Performances' presenting program over the past decade, and advances in technology, have far exceeded the capacity and capabilities of the facility. Among the elements that are absent or in need of upgrading and modernizing, the campaign is focusing on:

IMPROVED AUDIENCE AMENITIES, including new theater seating (already installed through the generous support of early contributors) and a more complete, attractive café service;

REPLACEMENT OF OUTDATED PRODUCTION and STAGE EQUIPMENT with a focus on upgrades of acoustic and lighting systems.

Completion of these elements of the Campaign will help Zellerbach Hall retain its status as an inviting, state-of-the-art performing arts venue, worthy of both the world-class artists who perform on its stage, and the thousands of patrons who enjoy them each year.

CREATIVE VENTURE FUND

Campaign Goal: Ensure artistic excellence by increasing presenting, producing and commissioning capacity.

Cal Performances' stature in the world of performing arts has grown dramatically over the past century as it has expanded and diversified its artistic offerings. We are an important and often exclusive West Coast venue for major national and international music, dance and theater artists. A Cal Performances production is often as unique and exceptional as any found around the world.

Sustaining this level of excellence, and being able to respond to opportunities to bring or commission new work for the Cal Performances stage, require financial resources not always afforded by our annual operating funds. The Creative Venture Fund will provide that source of opportunity funding, making it possible to commission or present works that keep our programming fresh, varied, and memorable, while supporting established or emerging artists in their own artistic explorations.

ENDOWMENT

Campaign Goal: Establish a permanent base of support to sustain Cal Performances' artistic programming.

While operating costs seem to steadily rise each year in nearly every facet of our operations, the ups and downs of the economy can negatively affect the ability of our annual individual and institutional donors to sustain and increase their support. Establishing and growing an endowment fund to provide a source of predictable operating funds has become increasingly important to arts and other non-profit organizations, and Cal Performances is no exception.

The Endowment Fund for Cal Performances will provide annual interest income that adds stability to our operating budget. Gifts to the Fund represent an essential long-term investment in Cal Performances; they establish a foundation from which we can reliably organize and present seasons of dance, music and theater that retain their distinct range and broad appeal. A strong endowment will ensure that successive generations of audiences—and their children—will be introduced each year to the work of exceptional artists, and that we will be able to carry out our mission to "inspire, nurture and sustain a lifelong appreciation of the arts."