Time to take Myrtle Beach cultural arts scene to next level
Build it, and they will come!
In the movie “Field of Dreams,” the basic premise is to attract people to legendary baseball games with the “Build it and they will come” slogan. We can do the same.
With the passage of the 2013 bond referendum for a performing arts center and amphitheater, Myrtle Beach residents voiced their positive guidance in creating additional cultural and educational venues for the area.
The clock continues to tick, and anxiety is setting in for the five-year deadline. In the latest update on the center, it has been stated that the center is being planned for only 500 to 600 attendees, and instead of additional seating, an art gallery and black box was included in the design. The minimum seating capacity is designed for planned obsolescence and by the time it is completed, there will be a need for a much larger one, as the Myrtle Beach area is one of the fastest-growing areas in the United States.
Taking Broadway to Myrtle Beach has been in the works for 20 years, and we have acknowledged that with the popular Broadway at the Beach attraction. Myrtle Beach has shown that we can generate crowds, as evidenced by the Carolina Country Music Festival and our other theaters, such as the Alabama Theatre, Pirate's Voyage, and the Carolina Opry. It has been proven that if you offer the on-demand attractions, people will respond.
The center does not have to be on the Myrtle Beach Convention Center grounds, hidden by the convention center and the sports center. It could command a prouder, more visible location that could serve 2,600 people, a location that is accompanied by restaurants, shopping, and other entertainment venues and accessed without changing your parking space.
After Hurricane Matthew, extensive damage was done to the landmark Palace Theatre, host to Broadway productions and the iconic Rockettes, causing its closure and possibly an avenue for the Myrtle Beach Performing Arts Center to locate. It could be a way to meet the deadline and a way to visualize the future. The theater holds 2,600 attendees, with additional space that could be used for receptions, an art gallery, marathon awards, graduations, conventions, etc.
Within a year, we could be the beneficiaries of the 2013 bond referendum, with a minimum cost, and having the potential to serve the Carolinas with an extraordinary cultural venue. The amphitheater could be located in the convention center area and complement the convention center, performing arts center, and the sports center, and could be based on the Hollywood Bowl concept.
Let's add to all the great Myrtle Beach attractions and continue to increase the 17 million visitors coming to our great area each year. With these great additions, we will have everyone coming and returning.
It's time to bring “Hamilton,” “Kinky Boots,” Shakespearean dramas, “Aida,” The Bolshoi Ballet, Celine Dion, and Lady Gaga to Myrtle Beach.
It only happens in Myrtle Beach, and that's the way it should be.
The writer lives in Myrtle Beach.
This story was originally published January 28, 2017 at 11:01 AM with the headline "Time to take Myrtle Beach cultural arts scene to next level."