Whitefish Theatre Company gets $250,000 grant

 As part of a newly launched Act 2 Capital Campaign, the I.A. O’Shaughnessy Foundation has awarded Whitefish Theatre Company a $250,000 challenge grant.

The challenge grant is payable over five years, contingent on the theater company raising matching funds from the community.

Act 2 is a five-year capital campaign aimed at raising $1.25 million for upgrades and improvements to the O’Shaughnessy Center in Whitefish. The O’Shaughnessy Center is home to Whitefish Theatre Company and is the namesake of the foundation that supports it.  

The O’Shaughnessy Center has served the community for 15 years, providing space for Whitefish Theatre Company productions, children’s camps, films and special events.

To meet the growing needs of the community and maintain Whitefish Theatre’s position as a premiere arts center, Whitefish Theatre Company’s board of directors in 2010 decided it was time to “raise the curtain on Act 2” and began to plan renovation and expansion of the O’Shaughnessy building.

Upgrades include improving the main-stage 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 first stage of that upgrade, installing new seating, will be completed by September.

The I.A. O’Shaughnessy Foundation, based in Minnesota, has supported Whitefish Theatre Company and other organizations in the Flathead Valley for many years.

The foundation provided a major 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 ongoing funding for the building.

Whitefish Theatre Company will continue to reach out to individuals, corporate foundations and other sources of support until capital campaign goals are met. Special events and giving incentives for the community are being planned. Community support is critical to matching this grant and to the success of the Act 2 Capital Campaign.

For more information, visit whitefishtheatreco.org or call 862-5371.