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School and Community Outreach
As one of Napa Valley’s leading cultural beacons, NVOH has advanced its leadership role through a broad range of outreach programs. These include the Community Access Program (CAP) that provides free tickets to underserved populations, performing artist workshops for primary-school-age children, and access to the NVOH for non-profit organizations on a pro bono or discounted basis.
The Community Access Program (CAP) program is funded by partners including Target, Foster’s Wine Estates / Beringer Vineyards and the Napa Valley Opera House League, which provide supplementary unding for specific performances, allowing the NVOH to offer free or discounted tickets to local social service organizations. Nearly 1,000 individuals have benefited from this program including agencies serving senior citizens like the Napa Senior Center and Veteran’s Home of California, and youth agencies like the Boys & Girls Club and various schools throughout the Napa Valley.
NVOH has a history of bringing successful programs into schools, iincluding: three performances by Spanish-language singer Perla Batalla in January 2010 (funded by a grant from the California Arts Council), the Oregon Shakespeare Festival local schools program, and San Francisco Opera’s Opera a la Carte, which brings a mini-opera into schools. In addition, NVOH presented an in-school program with Latin music ensemble Sol y Canto at McPherson Elementary School in Napa, which has an 85% population of Hispanic students, 84% of those participating in the free or reduced-price lunch program.
NVOH also provides workshops and programs to bring students into the theatre. For the past seven summers, the theatre has welcomed the popular Missoula Children’s Theatre workshop, which provides theatre training to local students culminating in a main-stage production. In June 2010, the Missoula Children’s Theatre returns for a production of Treasure Island. Children ages 5–18 are invited to audition for the performance, which rehearses for one week before the final performance on the main stage. This is the first and often only opportunity for some of these students to perform on a stage of such caliber.
When possible, NVOH negotiates with national performers to provide access to students through open rehearsals, workshops or even articipation in performances. Artists such as Wynton Marsalis, Straight No Chaser, Boz Scaggs and The Four Freshman have provided a truly unique opportunity to the children of Napa Valley.
In addition, the NVOH provides low-cost meeting and performance space for non-profit organizations including: The Napa Chamber of Commerce, Friends of Hispanic Network, Arts Council Napa Valley, Napa Downtown Business Association, Napa Valley Coalition of Nonprofit Agencies, Napa Valley College and Oxbow Public Market. The NVOH also has a growing relationship with Blue Oak School, which provided rehearsal space for three months for the NVOH’s May 2010 presentation of A Chorus Line. In turn, the NVOH provided performance space in the main theatre for Blue Oak School’s presentation of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. This type of collaborative partnership is becoming a more frequent occurrence as the NVOH builds community bonds and increases its reach into the community and outlying areas.
The Summer of 2010 is rich with community-based programming including shows by Napa High School Chamber Choir, Napa School of Music, Napa Regional Dance Company, and Wandering Rose (a newly emerging coalition of young local artists). NVOH strives to give a voice to local artists and is proud to open its doors to showcase the talent in its own backyard through events like We Live Here: Celebrating Music Made in Napa, Garage Band 101 and Battle of the Bands. The 2009 Battle of the Bands event attracted a sold-out crowd of local youth and the attention of Ray Manzarek of The Doors, who served as a celebrity judge.
View a video of the 2009 Missoula Children's Theatre (rehearsing King Arthur's Quest)
Community Impact
As the cultural centerpiece to downtown Napa and the Napa Valley, the economic impact of NVOH is substantial, especially when
taking into account the direct and indirect effects on local retail, restaurant and hospitality establishments. NVOH has attracted a diverse group of more than 154,000 visitors since re-opening in 2003. These patrons choose local restaurants, hotels and retail establishments when attending a performance, contributing to the economic vitality of the Napa Valley.
In a 2009 study conducted by the Stanford University Graduate School of Business (ACT), it was determined that NVOH’s annual direct economic impact to the community amounts to $2.4 million. When taking into account indirect economic effects, a study commissioned by the Arts Council of Napa Valley determined multiplier effects of 6X could be attributed to NVOH’s contribution.
In addition to its economic contribution, NVOH has adopted a programming philosophy intended to maximize benefits to the diverse population of Napa, surrounding communities and visitors. As discussed in the following section, programming covers a vast spectrum of genres.
Perhaps of greater impact is the decision to complement the presentation of “headliner” artists with a range of international performers and a robust selection of community and family-based programming.