🔒With new museum, more events ‘The Kate’ sees rise in attendance

The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center in Old Saybrook has accomplished what some not-for-profit arts organizations often struggle to achieve.

It’s turned steady profits — or in nonprofit financial terms, positive margins — and a growing customer base.

For several years, “The Kate” — a performing arts center that operates on a $2 million budget and presents concerts, lectures and films in addition to hosting a new museum dedicated to the late actress — has produced operating surpluses, many in the six-figures range, that have provided long-term financial stability and allowed the nonprofit to reinvest in its operations and programming.

“One of the reasons we’ve grown is because of the quantity of programming,” said Brett Elliott, executive director since 2015. “We feel strongly about it. From the time I took over until now, gross ticket income has gone up 110 percent.”

Unlike some nonprofits, the cultural center also has no continuing debt.

Surpluses go to a restricted endowment/reserve or to support future projects and “make the customer experience better,” said Robin Andreoli, director of development and community relations.

When Elliott, now 35, took over there was just a two-person staff. The now four-person team includes box office and production managers and together they oversee 275 events annually at the 285-seat hall.

In the last nine years attendance has grown from 26,000 to more than 45,000 people coming to the downtown Old Saybrook facility. Shows have included Judy Collins, Paula Poundstone, Peter Yarrow, Marty Stuart, stand-up comedians, as well as HD-live broadcasts from the Metropolitan Opera and England’s National Theatre Live.

This spring the cultural center’s entertainment lineup will include Rickie Lee Jones, Marc Cohn, George Winston, Jimmy Webb, Janis Ian, Al Stewart and Herb Alpert and The Lovin’ Spoonful.

Managing through the pandemic

The Kate, like all arts institutions, was impacted by the pandemic. It had to shut down for a period of time and then slowly rebuild its programming and attendance numbers.

It has been able to remain in the black, avoid layoffs and maintain programming with the help of several federal government loan and grant programs. It received two Paycheck Protection Program loans totaling $243,182. It’s also benefiting from just over $1 million in funding from the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program.

“These funds combined have really allowed us to maintain staff and continue booking artists when there was no certainty around ticket sales,” said Elliott. “We needed to get The Kate and artists back to work and this allowed us to make that commitment with less fear of the external conditions that we had no control over.”

In the fiscal years before the pandemic, The Kate reported six-figure surpluses.

The center is expected to receive an attention boost with the recent opening of its new ground-floor Katharine Hepburn Museum. The expansive permanent display includes personal letters, costumes, photographs and memorabilia of the legendary Hartford-born actress who also made her home in the Fenwick section of Old Saybrook. The four-time Oscar-winning actress died in 2003 at the age of 96.

The new 1,200-square-foot museum is located on the main floor of the center. Admission is free but donations are welcome. A matching grant campaign during the pandemic eventually raised $500,000 (including state and federal funds).

Previously the first floor space showcased a limited amount of memorabilia about the actress whose career as a star on the stage, screen and television began in the early 1930s and lasted more than 60 years. The center's main hall presents concerts, lectures and films on its second and third floors.

“Part of our mission is to sustain her legacy and that includes creating the ‘Spirit of Katharine Hepburn Award,' ” said Andreoli.

The award was last given in-person in November to Sam Waterston and before that to Cher, virtually. Other recipients have included Glenn Close, Dick Cavett, Christine Baranski and Ann Nyberg. The next recipient will be awarded in August.

“The award is a vehicle to show how Kate relates to current artists and to hear their stories of her impact on them — and to bring that to a younger generation,” said Andreoli.

CPTV connection

For the past six years CPTV has broadcast concerts from The Kate as part of its televised programming.

“Being able to share what we do on this stage with 70 percent of national PBS markets is really important for The Kate’s visibility,” said Elliott.

Though it does not receive direct financial aid from CPTV, “it certainly helps us gain attention for the center.”

Elliott said CPTV pays the artist because of complex broadcast rights issues.

“The CPTV partnership has helped to open avenues for new audiences,” said Andreoli. “More members then want to support us, more sponsors, those kinds of things have grown along with it and contribute to the income side,” she said.

The Kate also rents out space to community partners such as the Saybrook Stage Co., Broadway Kids & Co., Chestnut Hill Concerts series and Eastern Connecticut Ballet.

“We’ve worked really hard to get the [number of events] up with not a huge staff,” said Andreoli.

Though the number of shows and audiences are growing, budgeting is conservative, said Elliott, who hopes surpluses are redirected to increasing the staff. He would like to add a part-time preservationist/curator for the new museum, a facilities person and an education director to expand youth services.

The museum is not the only new high-profile attraction at the center.

“We’re working on KateCom,” said Andreoli, “which will be a conference on Kate Hepburn for fans across the globe, hopefully for next year.”