Trustees and Tulsa Performing Arts Center officials are sorting through the plans and financial feasibility of constructing a temporary theater in the parking lot south of the existing downtown building when the PAC closes in June 2028 for renovations.
The current plan calls for a temporary modular theater with a capacity of 1,800 seats. The center wants to partner with Belgian firm SpanTech, which proposes building the modular theater with local contractor help, Tulsa Documenters reported in August.
As part of an update at Monday’s trustee meeting, PAC CEO Mark Frie said there will not be a 200-seat theater incorporated into the modular structure.
“There is no way to make that happen,” said Frie.
Instead, he is working on a partnership with The University of Tulsa to move the productions typically performed in the PAC’s Liddy Doenges Theatre and Charles E. Norman Theatre at 110 E. 2nd St. to Lorton Performance Center, 550 S. Gary Ave.
The agreement will allow the PAC to continue to oversee its productions. Frie said he expects details to be finalized by January 2027.
Tulsa Opera could utilize the temporary structure, Frie said, but the company will be better served in Lorton due to the needed acoustics the modular will lack.
The CEO told trustees he is working on an updated feasibility plan and the budget for their modular needs. Once completed, he will meet with legal counsel, then schedule video conferencing informational sessions with each member.
Then, Frie expects to hold a special board meeting in late October to vote on the plan and send it on to Tulsa City Council for final approval. If the process gets delayed, Frie said it will push back the renovated theater’s reopening date back a month. It’s currently slated for completion in fall 2030.
Tulsa Ballet, which has called the PAC home since its inception in 1977, will conclude its 70th season next May with “Carmen” presented at the Lorton Performance Center, as the company tries out alternate facilities.
“One thing that dictated the sort of season we have planned is knowing the Tulsa PAC is going to close in 2028,” Tulsa Ballet Artistic Director Marcello Angelini told the Flyer in February.
Frie also provided an update on the PAC’s capital campaign that has a total, with asks, of $44.7 million. They still have $17.7 million to raise, along with the $79.7 million from the voter-approved Improve Our Tulsa 3 package, for a total of $135 million to fund the PAC’s transformation.
Frie told trustees he is confident they will close the funding gap as they near the deadline to decide if their major renovation dreams will come true or if they will pivot to a cosmetic overhaul of the building that will celebrate 50 years in 2027.
Discovered by Documenters
This was informed by Anderson Bell’s Documenter notes from the Tulsa Performing Arts Center Trust meeting on July 20. Find out more about how Tulsa Documenters works here.
News decisions at the Tulsa Flyer are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
