What’s in a Name?
The Scotts Valley Cultural & Performing Arts Center has a new name – “The Landing”.
The new name comes with a tag line – A Performing Arts & Event Center.
On Saturday, February 1st from 5-7pm we will host an open house to show the community all the amazing additions we’ve made since we opened on October 1, 2022.
We are proud to report that so far, we have had over 100 performances with over 20,000 attendees. Productions included Dance Companies, Plays from local schools and community theater companies, Concerts, Recitals, Lectures, Comedy, the Mayor’s State of the City presentation and even an Alfred Hitchcock festival.
While “The Scotts Valley Cultural & Performing Arts Center” as a name is very descriptive, it’s also a mouthful that doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue. Plus, it often gets confused with Scotts Valley Performing Arts (SVPA), our local community theater company. Then there is the lighted sign above the entrance that says “Theater”. Folks regularly mistake us for the local movie theater.
The history of Scotts Valley includes our very own airport called, you guessed it, Sky Park which operated from 1947 to 1983. Now Sky Park includes a beautiful City Park that hosts numerous sporting events, concerts and festivals, plus the Sky Park housing development on the west side of the park. Now there is also a building on the south side of the park called “The Hanger”, which hosts some very cool shops including The Laughing Monk Brew Pub. Since our performing arts center sits adjacent to Sky Park and across from “The Hanger” our new name “The Landing” helps to tie it all together.
A large chunk of the Sky Park Airport property has laid vacant since the airport closed. Part of it was owned by the City of Santa Cruz and part by the City of Scotts Valley. The management and City Councils of the two towns recently agreed on the sale of the Santa Cruz piece to Scotts Valley. After 40 years of planning Scotts Valley may finally be able to build a town center on the Sky Park property. We would like to have a little 20’ sliver of that land added to the back side of our facility so we can add an addition to the building for permanent restrooms, dressing rooms and storage space, none of which fit very well within the current space. If you have been to one of our performances you know that 50 tiny dancers or high school students can make a bit of noise while they are changing costumes.
The Landing was built by and is managed by the non-profit Scotts Valley Community Theater Guild (SVCTG). It is a configurable facility currently arranged in a Proscenium Configuration with 264 theater seats + a designated area for 10 ADA + 10 companions up front for a total seating capacity of 284 patrons. The performance area on stage is 40’wx28’d with 25’ of wings on both sides. We have full theatrical lighting, sound and video capability, including a 22’w retractable movie screen and 2 baby grand pianos. “Configurable” is a key feature of the facility. The curtains pull back and the 24 Platforms with 11 seats each, can be reconfigured or removed to add a thrust or accommodate a large banquet. The possible uses for the Landing are endless.
So come see what’s here. You are invited to join us for our open house on February 1st…And for one of the many events planned in the coming months. The Landing is located at 251B Kings Village Road across from the Scotts Valley Transit Center. We are the left end of the building we share with the Scotts Valley Library.
Look for the big sign that says “Theater”.
For information about coming events and/or how to rent the facility, go to the Scotts Valley Community Theater Guild website – svctheaterguild.org.
Ray Gorski
831-252-3501