$250,000 grant awarded for O'Shaughnessy improvements

Whitefish Theatre Company has received a $250,000 challenge grant from the I.A. O’Shaughnessy Foundation to help kick start their Act 2 Capital Campaign aimed at raising $1.25 million for necessary upgrades and improvements to the O’Shaughnessy Center.

The O’Shaughnessy Center has served the community for 15 years, providing space for WTC productions, children’s camps, films, and special events. The WTC Board of Directors in 2010 decided it was time to plan a renovation and expansion of the building to meet the growing needs of the community and maintain WTC’s position as a premiere arts center in Whitefish.

Upgrades include improving the mainstage theater space with new seating, constructing a two-story addition on the south side of the building to provide additional space for rehearsals, educational programs, and community groups, and expanding the lobby to improve traffic flow and comfort. The new seating to be installed by September of this year.

Established in 1941 by Ignatius Aloysius O’Shaughnessy, the I.A. O’Shaughnessy Foundation, based in Minnesota, has been a major supporter of the Whitefish Theatre Company for nearly 20 years, providing a grant to help build the I.A. O’Shaughnessy Center in 1998. Ched Lyman, I.A. O’Shaughnessy’s grandson, and his wife Rebecca have had a long history with Whitefish and were instrumental in securing the initial and on-going funding for the building.

For more information on how the matching grant and the “Raise the Curtain on Act 2,” capital campaign, visit www.whitefishtheatreco.org or call 862-5371.