Paramount Center For The Arts

Programs: Performing arts: the 806 seat paramount theatre is the grand performance stage in the community accommodating 90,000 patrons annually. Paramount center for the arts (pca) provides scheduling, ticketing, technical crew, and front-of-house services for the theatre. Community organizations are given priority in scheduling and preferential rental rates. Pca is a sought-after venue for community celebrations and fundraisers. Pca presents a season of professional entertainment on the paramount stage bringing high quality touring artists to central minnesota, and periodically produces performances. Pca provides professionally trained staff to manage and program the theatre and visual arts center. Customer service representatives manage and operate the internet-based ticketing system, the concessions service, and gallery operations. Pca manages the administrative offices, including sub-leasing to other nonprofit organizations, and the technical support facility located offsite. Pca also provides oversight, maintenance and operation of the mechanical systems for the facility.

visual arts: the 1998 theatre renovation incorporated well-equipped visual arts studios and classrooms. Pca offers classes year-round for all ages in a variety of media and summer art camps for children. We provide employment for working artists in a teaching capacity. Pca has a particular strength in ceramics and provides studio facilities and equipment to the community. Pca has developed a competence in the design, execution, and fabrication of public art projects. The facility includes a retail sales gallery that represents local artists, a professional gallery and two casual gallery spaces for artists to show. Pca offers professional development seminars and workshops for working artists and art educators; residencies and other services to k-12 schools; plus educational outreach to community organizations and school districts. Visual arts accommodates 21,000 children and adults annually.

education outreach: the paramount theatre has become increasingly committed to connecting local artists with the larger community to enhance and expand arts opportunities in central minnesota. These activities include staff development, workshops for classroom and arts teachers, training for area teaching artists that expand their capacity to serve a broad range of clients, residency programs on and off site for school and community organizations, technical outreach services assisting school and community theatres to maintain and manage their lighting and sound equipment, and consulting services that help area schools and organizations access expanded arts experiences for their clients. In 2016-17, the education outreach programs reached over 3,000 residents with over 500 hours of quality arts experiences.