The historic Nevada Theatre—the oldest continuously running theatre this side of the Mississippi—is looking to make a relevant upgrade, and is encouraging the community to do what they can to make it a reality.
“We are in a fundraising campaign right now for a new Meyer sound system,” said Jane Primrose, who oversees the nonprofit board which operates the theatre. “That’s the same sound system that The Center for the Arts put in. The theatre is owned by the community; you own it, everyone in the area owns it.”
Primrose said the mission of the Nevada Theatre is to make the space available to the community. She added that 99 percent of the events held at the downtown space are held by local artists and performers, something she said sets them apart from other regional venues. From film festivals to locally produced plays, the Nevada Theatre is keeping it real, so to speak.
“What we are trying to do is create a community of artists,” Primrose said. “That’s what makes this area so incredibly unique.”
With that, Primrose said there are things in need of an upgrade, first and foremost its sound system.
“One of our problems is that we have a sound system that basically is inadequate for the space,” she explained. “It bounces off the walls and you get these sound waves back and forth, and the music gets too loud; it has all these problems. So when someone like Paul Emery comes in he brings his own speakers because what we have doesn’t work.”
Primrose went on to say that the theatre has developed a connection with Meyer Labs in Berkeley, California, who have created a system for the venue that is perfectly designed for the space. The design will help both the audience and the performers enjoy a better experience aurally, and enhance the theatre-going experience.
“We have a series of major donors that stepped up and what we are left with is we need to raise the final $25,000,” said Primrose who said that so far, much of the campaign has been grassroots, advertising on radio and on social media.
“Admittedly, we all know this is a tough time for some people,” she added. “We’re out there looking. The total cost...I would round it out to $100,000. And by the way, we are matching that money. We have a donor who is matching as we go. Whatever we do, we will raise this final $25,000.”
Primrose said the Nevada Theatre has a strict policy of not borrowing money, relying on its community to help fund what she said is a community treasure. The digital sound system and movie screen that were implemented in recent years were the result of their share of the COVID Resilience Fund.
“If we’re doing an improvement that does not increase our revenue or decrease our expenses then we have to fundraise for it,” Primrose said. “That’s our commitment to ourselves. For example, when we put on brand new solar panels a few years ago we completely paid for it because we recouped the money in two years. We were saving $40,000 a year in electricity bills. If you’ve been in the Nevada Theatre, and you’ve seen the mural, it was paid entirely by community members. That was one person that funded that whole project.”
The improvements have not impacted the rates for renting the Nevada Theatre, which is booked through 2026, leaving only some early week dates available. The theatre sees about 500,000 attendees in a given year.
“Our commitment is to keep our fees to locals as low as possible,” Primrose said. “We raise it for cost of living every year, so we might raise it two or three percent, but that’s why we have 240 events is because it’s so inexpensive to be at the Nevada Theatre. Everybody gets a screaming deal.”
Primrose continued: “In another year we want to change to all LED lights on our stage lighting, and finally we will end up replacing the seats. At each step of this process we look to the community to make this a better space. We’re there for them and that’s why we are reaching out to the community to help us achieve this.”
The best way to support the Nevada Theatre, Primrose said, is to simply attend a performance or event in the space. However, she said that donations are graciously accepted in hopes of soon meeting their goal for the remaining funds needed for the Meyer sound system.
“The call to action is simply for the community to support local art,” said Primrose. “Attending shows really benefits the local artists; our job is to make it as fine a facility as we can for them. I think people forget about us because we don’t have the big showy acts but the reality is we have our community of local artists. I am very proud of the Nevada Theatre and I am proud of all the artists that are in there. It’s just wonderful. Hopefully we can do something more wonderful and continue to expand that experience.”
To donate to the Nevada Theatre’s efforts, please visit NevadaTheatre.com, use Venmo @Nevada-Theatre or send a check payable to Nevada Theatre to P.O. Box 1066, Nevada City, Ca, 95959.