Official Statement: B&B’s Future In Hillsboro

February 19, 2015

Friends,

Bag&Baggage has been honored to be Hillsboro’s resident professional theatre for the past 7 years. In partnership with the staff of the beautiful and historic Venetian Theatre, and with the support of a wide range of sponsors and funders, we are proud to produce our critically acclaimed, unique brand of theatre in this city that we love.

As has been widely reported in the press, The Venetian Theatre is for sale and, although we have no evidence that a sale is imminent, it is our responsibility to address the possibility that, at some point in the future, the theatre that we love so much may not be available to us.

It is important to know that we will be performing at The Venetian for the foreseeable future. In fact, we have already confirmed our exciting line-up of shows at The Venetian for the 2015-2016 Season and look forward to sharing that line-up with our supporters on April 18^th at our Season Announcement event.

For the past 3 years, our Board and Staff have been exploring a wide range of options for how we can remain a part of the fabric of Hillsboro. We are 100% committed to keeping Bag&Baggage here, in Hillsboro, forever and that means thinking creatively about all of the possibilities.

As part of those explorations, we have been working hand in hand with the City of Hillsboro to discuss what might be possible and that has included looking at the potential represented by the former Wells Fargo Bank Building located in the heart of downtown Hillsboro. That is, however, only one of a range of options we are exploring.

The City of Hillsboro has been one of our most ardent supporters and has a long and celebrated history of supporting the arts and culture in this community for many, many years. One need only look at the enormous successes of the Walters Cultural Arts Center, the Washington County Museum, Sequoia Galleries, HART Theatre and many others to see the evidence of the City’s thoughtful support of the arts. We have been delighted to receive competitive funding from the Hillsboro Arts and Culture Council each year for the past seven years and are deeply grateful for that support.

As we continue to explore the options available to us, we work alongside our supporters at the City, the private sector, donors, sponsors, and the broad array of Trusts and Foundations who have so generously contributed to our success.

It is very early in the process and there are no detailed plans related to a relocation to, purchase of, or refurbishment of any new spaces, although exploratory conversations have taken place related to a range of different options.

We will continue to work with our patrons, board, staff, funders, and with the City of Hillsboro to advance the important work of the arts and culture in the City and to ensure Bag&Baggage remains a crucial part of the fabric of Hillsboro.

Scott Palmer
Artistic Director