Wickenburg Foundation for the Performing Arts

Since its inaugural season in 2001 the Del E. Webb Center for the Performing Arts has presented over 875 public performances, community events and educational outreach activities; entertaining and educating over 247,500 audience members.  The theatre continually expands its capacity to present diverse, high quality professional musicians, actors, and dancers with support from corporate, foundation, individual, state and federal funding sources; the Webb Center's seasoned staff, who challenge themselves by raising the bar of artistic selection and production quality; and the increasing number of loyal patrons who promote the venue's reputation in Arizona. 

 

The Webb Center organization is driven by its audience members and stakeholders, commitment to arts education, and economic development for the Wickenburg, Arizona area. The Webb Center’s professional performances include a variety of performing arts genres that are selected to engage diverse segments of the community, offer adult education opportunities and provide meaningful arts experiences.  All ages and socio-economic levels are welcome to participate with affordable adult and $5 student tickets.  The Webb Center’s events have become a driving economic force for the local economy; currently attracting 68% of its patrons from out-of-town.

 

During the school year, the Webb Center provides free, interactive "Arts for Kids" programs to the 2,100 kindergarten through twelfth grade students in this rural area with special performances and in-classroom residency activities.  The programs are curriculum-based and coordinated with administrators and teachers to foster impactful arts experiences.  It is vital for the theatre to introduce younger generations to different art forms, innovative styles of self-expression and expose them to the beauty, energy and magic of the performing arts. 

 

In order to continue their educations outside of the school year, the Webb Center produces an annual two-week summer arts camp, “Camp Imagination,” for first - twelfth grade students to explore a variety of arts related subjects.  The objectives of Camp Imagination are to: provide  children with an intensive hands-on performing, technical and visual arts learning experience; produce a public performance starring the campers either onstage as actors, singers and dancers or backstage as film and technical crews; create a nurturing environment where campers, volunteers and teaching artists are free to indulge in creative self-expression; improve participants’ self-image, self-confidence, and sense of community; and for the long-term, to build audiences who are appreciative of the many facets of the arts.  In order to meet the demand for this quality, summer arts camp, the Webb Center is expanding camp, doubling the number of children served and its impact, by offering two separate two-week camps during the four weeks of June.  Every interested student can participate in Camp Imagination with partial and full scholarships available.

 

In the Fall of 2009 the Webb Center implemented the innovative "Made in Wickenburg” artist residency program. The project invites an artistic company to live at a guest ranch in Wickenburg while developing a new piece of work. The participants offer free, open rehearsals to educate the general public on their art form and creative process. In culmination, many companies world-premiere their new piece on the Webb Center's stage and then continue to tour it on a national and international level.