A new rigging system is in place for the kickoff of the Civic Center of Des Moines’ Betts Broadway Series on October 10. The roof is near completion as well and will mark the end of the first act of the Civic Center’s Capital Campaign.

Announced in January, the $7 million initiative is designed to update many of the 1979 theater’s original, worn-out features and help it maintain a strong presence in Des Moines into the future. The organization has raised $4.7 million so far and expects to reach its $7 million goal by June 2007. The next project will be to replace the 2,735 seats in the main hall, which will be completed during the theater’s slow season next summer.

“When the Civic Center was originally conceived in the 1970s,” said Todd Fogdall, director of development, “its goal was to be the beginning of the revitalization of downtown Des Moines…. The Civic Center is a geographic centerpiece in many ways, and it’s very much a cultural centerpiece of so much of what’s happening in Des Moines and Central Iowa. We want to make sure we continue to move forward like that.”

The Civic Center is pleased with the response it’s received during the capital campaign, which is its first since 1993.

“We’ve received just a great response from the community toward this effort,” Fogdall said. “I think the community looks at the Civic Center as an organization that’s been able to take care of itself pretty well…. They understand that non-profit cultural facilities occasionally need to raise some money to do some work like this.”

Community support is further evident in an increase in ticket sales. The public purchased more than 300,000 tickets for shows at the Civic Center last year. For the Broadway series, ticket sales reached 171,490, an exponential increase from the 30,000 people the series attracted when it began less than 10 years ago.

Updating the Civic Center not only allows for better entertainment to come to Des Moines, but also helps businesses attract employees by improving the area’s quality of life, said Fogdall. It also provides an annual boost to the local economy of about $20 million. Fogdall said that a study done by the League of American Theaters & Producers on the economic impact of theaters that host touring Broadway shows found that the financial return to a community is three times total ticket sales.

“So many people travel to Des Moines to go to Civic Center productions,” Fogdall said, “They stay in our hotels, they dine in our restaurants and shop in our shops.”

The capital campaign has four components and Fogdall hopes all the projects within each facet will be completed or well under way by fall 2008. He admits, however, with performances almost year round, it’s an ongoing process.

The first component is to “provide a 21st-century theater-going experience,” which includes replacing current marquees with LED signs, renovating the entrances, refurbishing the seats in the main hall and replacing carpet and furniture throughout the facility, which will cost $3.5 million.

Their second goal is to “attract the biggest and best touring Broadway productions” by replacing the stage rigging and fly system (already completed), replacing sound treatments in the main hall and updating dressing rooms, which will cost about $1.2 million.

With about $1.3 million, the organization hopes to “create a safe and inviting environment,” which includes updating seating and the ticket office to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act. Civic Center officials also want to replace the concrete surrounding the facility and improve lighting design in the lobbies.

Finally, they want to “promote a wide variety of youth and adult education initiatives,” with $1 million. This will support the education endowment for the creation and development of new education programs as well as support new education efforts, including a possible internship program and opportunities to develop classes based on themes in Broadway performances.

These features, especially new equipment such as the rigging system, will help the Civic Center attract top productions, said Fogdall, such as the highlight of this year’s Betts Broadway Series, the Tony Award-winning “Monty Python’s Spamalot,” which is in its first year on national tour.

“It’s a big deal for a community the size of Des Moines [to get this production],” Fogdall said. “A lot of times we get shows that have been on the road two to three years.”

Fogdall also attributes some success to the Civic Center’s strategy to focus on Broadway and its participation in the Independent Presenters Network, a consortium of about 40 theaters that help finance Broadway shows with the expectation that they will be able to book those shows when they start touring.

After a 2005 strategic planning process, the Civic Center also has some long-term plans that may include offering more smaller-venue performances at the Temple of Performing Arts and producing its own Broadway-type shows.