Arts Council, City Council taking risks

The Arts Council of Wilson's decision to decline Wilson City Council's gift of the Edna Boykin Cultural Center might have been the only option it could afford to take, but it was still a risky decision. City Council, hastily and without real discussion, voted last month to hand the historic theater over to the Arts Council, which had been managing the theater since its reopening in 1996. The circa 1919 former vaudeville theater, with its restored plaster work and new seating, has been host to numerous concerts, Playhouse plays, Theater of the American South and other events. Accepting the deed would have meant accepting responsibility for insuring the public venue and maintaining/repairing it. The costs the Arts Council would be accepting are unknown.

The Arts Council's risk, of course, is that its snub might anger City Council, which has a stranglehold on the group's finances. City Council contributes $100,000 annually to the nonprofit, in part to cover the expenses of a youth theater program the city used to provide through its recreation program. Additional Arts Council funding comes from grants and membership dues. The group has a broad and enthusiastic membership, constituting a potentially powerful political force. The city also owns the Wilson Arts Center, the former BB&T headquarters office that was given to the city by the bank.

So while the Arts Council's refusal of the theater deed was a risky decision, forcing the deed onto the Arts Council would be risky for City Council. Wilson has a growing, statewide reputation as an arts haven in eastern North Carolina, and the Arts Council enjoys faithful support from a broad array of city residents, ranging from funky artists to wealthy benefactors.

Pushing the deed transfer makes little sense for City Council. It risks offending a large voting bloc while saving little money for the city. Including the Boykin Center on the city's umbrella insurance policy amounts to a tiny fraction of the city's expenses. Even if substantive repairs are needed in the future, the city's long-term outlay would be relatively small.

The only group benefiting from this controversy is the vocal anti-arts, anti-downtown, anti-Wilson malcontents who submit their tirades anonymously to online forums, including this blog's comments section. Let's hope City Council won't put them in charge.

Wilson's Cultural Center needs repairs now

Playhouse's production of "Christmas Belles" was performed over the weekend at the DelMastro Auditorium at Wilson Community College. Although the Thursday night crowd (when I attended) was respectable and appreciative, the college auditorium lacked the ambiance and the capabilities of the Edna Boykin Cultural Center, where Playhouse usually stages its productions.

The ceiling in the city-owned 90-year-old theater is sagging and needs extensive repairs. Concerts, plays and other events slated for the Boykin Center have been moved or rescheduled. The latest, unofficial word I heard was that it could be months, even up to a year, before the Boykin Center is ready for showtime again. A delay of that duration would deal a serious blow to entertainment in Wilson.

Even six months of delay would jeopardize the Theater of the American South, scheduled at the end of May. Moving TOTAS to another location would break the theater festival's continuity and its focus on Wilson's historic downtown. TOTAS, in its third year, has begun to develop a strong fan base and attract patrons from other cities. Wilson businesses and individuals have supported the festival financially. Founding director Gary Cole exudes his love and appreciation for Wilson, but this festival could go anywhere in the region. And plenty of cities would love to be known as home to Theater of the American South.

Wilson officials had better get on the ball and finish the repairs to the Boykin Center — and do so while retaining the 1920s charm of its plaster work on walls and ceiling. Wilson's claim as a host of vibrant theater and performing arts is in danger, and the two decades it took to restore the theater initially, could be lost.