PRESCOTT FINE ARTS ASSOCIATION

Background
For over 50 years, Suze's Prescott Center for the Arts (PCA) has been the premier non-profit community theater and arts center in Northern Arizona. With a refurbished campus and a new 8,000 sq. ft. multipurpose building that opened in January 2023, Suze’s PCA is now a full-service community arts center that provides a wide variety of visual and performing arts experiences with a targeted focus on youth arts programs.

Youth, Family, and Community-Focused Programming
Suze’s PCA believes that all youth, regardless of income, socio-economic status, or location, should have equitable access to quality arts education which was a major driver of the campus expansion. The organization is now able to offer a full range of youth after school programs, affordable summer and school break camps, and internships and career mentorships with professional artists while employing artist teachers at the Center and through community partnerships. Suze’s PCA provides over $25,000 annually for need and merit-based scholarships. Summer 2023 visual and performing arts youth camps serviced over 200 local youth and employed 20 artist teachers and classroom aids.

Additional programs include a full season of theater performances, including Family Theater, a Teen Summer Stock Ensemble, the Young Playwrights Festival, the Summer Youth Jr. program, visual art exhibit opportunities for emerging and professional artists, outreach programs for libraries and schools, education in theater and visual arts, a fine and performing arts youth scholarship program, and a Director Mentorship program. Efforts are also underway to strengthen and expand partnerships with social service and arts organizations such as Free Arts for Abused Children. Many Suze’s PCA programs are free or discounted, especially for youth, veteran, recovery, and special needs groups.

A Unique Community Arts Center Unlike Any Other
Suze’s PCA now has two unique stages: the cabaret theater located in the historical Sacred Heart Church building, and a new state of the art studio theater located in its new multi-purpose facility. Additional community spaces include an artist lounge, two visual arts galleries, four classrooms including a ceramics studio, a large multipurpose rehearsal and meeting space, and an outdoor courtyard. A future outdoor amphitheater will increase capacity and provide a unique outdoor venue for cultural experiences unlike anything in our communities. After 53 years of service to our community, this historical initiative brought Suze’s PCA into the 21st century by providing state of the art lighting, sound, comfortable seating, much needed rehearsal pace, dedicated costume construction and storage rooms, classrooms, and community rental spaces for arts groups, business meetings, conferences, and special events like weddings.

Focused Vision and Planning for Now and the Future
With generous support from our patrons, donors, foundations, and communities, Suze’s PCA’s efforts have brought to fruition an integrated multi-stage performance and visual arts complex serving current and future generations of the Prescott, Arizona Quad City area. During a time of great division, now more than ever, our communities need a creative, safe, and collaborative place to come together, learn, and reconnect through shared experiences. The arts have a long history of bringing people together across boundaries. Artists and arts organizations are a crucial resource in our path to building stronger connections. Opportunities for conversations among groups lead to insight and a shared sense of community, and in turn lay the groundwork for exploration about how to maintain vital cultural and community traditions while inviting much-needed neighborhood investment. Against impressive odds, Suze’s PCA has now become this cultural gathering place for all community members, and with ongoing support and recognition, will continue to have a vital role in fostering community, a healthy business environment, and a safe, creative space for our youth.