A party is in the works for the Bowlus Fine Arts Center.
This fall will mark the 60th anniversary for the performing arts center. A gala is planned for Sept. 14, promising an event that both honors the past and looks forward to the future, Daniel Kays, executive director, said.
“I’ve been working on curating some hopefully fun, wonderful surprises,” Kays said. “There will be some callbacks, perhaps some shows that came to the Bowlus in the early ’80s that are still performing. So we’ll have adults who would have seen these shows early in their lives who can pass that on to their children and grandchildren.”
Negotiations are continuing, so Kays can’t announce which acts may return.
He’s also hoping a little nostalgia will help the Bowlus in a different way. Decades ago, community leaders made a concentrated effort to encourage families to set up trusts that included the Bowlus. A number of private trusts — Whitehead Trust, Sleeper Family Trust, Stephenson Trust, Pearman Trust, Daniel’s Estate and the Bowlus Endowment Trust — provide major contributions to educational projects and the professional touring series each year.
Those trusts, along with private and corporate donations as well as funding from Allen County, the City of Iola and USD 257, keep ticket prices affordable for guests, Kays said.
“Those trusts are doing the heavy lifting. They’re healthy, but the burden is becoming heavier,” he said, pointing to increased costs associated with hosting a production, including travel and lodging, meals, utilities, staff salaries and contract fees for artists.
“There was a lot of work done in the 1980s and early ’90s to set us up where we are today. We need to do that again. Hopefully, those who grew up here and saw the benefits of the Bowlus are now reaching the point where they can give back. We need this next generation to support the arts.”
WHEN LONGTIME Iola banker Thomas H. Bowlus died on Dec. 17, 1960, at the age of 87, his will stipulated the construction of a cultural and educational arts center.
He wrote: “I have always been dedicated to the proposition that the best tool with which to equip our youth to confront the future is an education, and that such education should include an appreciation of things artistic, musical and cultural, as well as things academic and scientific. It is to this end that and for such purposes that I dedicate the aforedescribed premises.”
Construction began in 1962 and the Bowlus opened its doors in the fall of 1964. Former Kansas City, Mo., Mayor H. Roe Bartle was among the dignitaries to speak at the center’s dedication. The Kansas City Symphony Orchestra gave the inaugural performance.
Bowlus’s will also put the local school district in charge of the center’s operation and maintenance. For decades, students attended art, music and drama classes at the center. That ended a few years ago, mostly for safety reasons. Students walked the few blocks between Iola High School and the Bowlus.
Kays took over as director in 2018.
Although Iola students still frequent the facility for educational shows as well as their own concerts and plays, it’s not quite the same, Kays lamented.
“What we miss are those opportunities for students to accidentally brush up against something inspirational,” he said.
For example, sometimes professional artists pass through the area and stop at the Bowlus. A former Iola student who now works as a professional voice actor was in town and asked if he could use the facility to practice for an audition. A professional pianist asked to use the facility to practice while traveling through the area.
“Imagine if a student was in the building and had an opportunity to brush up against these people. We miss those opportunities. How do we make up for that? It’s hard,” Kays said.
Things change. Times change.
Kays also struggles with how to encourage attendance in a post-COVID world. Attendance has dropped for all shows since then. Not only that, inflation has increased costs across the board.
“Prior to COVID, the risk was there but after that, everything went so viral. It’s easier to stay home with a streaming service and binge-watch the next thing,” Kays said.
“But we can’t give up. People need the arts.”
THERE are still plenty of opportunities to enjoy the Bowlus ahead of the anniversary.
The second half of the season continues with a delightful mix of family shows and musical performances.
Family entertainment abounds with “Dinosaurs World Live,” an interactive performance on Feb. 16 and “Alice: Dreaming of Wonderland,” an acrobatic circus-themed act on April 14. Music acts include “Mr. Ho’s Orchestrotica” on Feb. 17, the jukebox musical “Forever Young” on March 9, and “Nashville Legacy: The Music of Chet Atkins and Floyd Cramer” on May 4.
Kays also is excited about “Letters Aloud,” with performers reading the correspondences of luminaries like Stephen King, Andy Warhol, Elvis Presley, Emily Dickinson, Bruce Lee, Marilyn Monroe and Tom Hanks.
High school students will be invited to a special “Letters” performance about rejection letters. Yes, even the most famous celebrities faced rejection. Kays is especially looking forward to students hearing a rejection letter written by a student in response to a college’s rejection letter.
“Mostly I want them to hear that college letter. It’s fantastic,” Kays said. “These are stories of inspiration. We all get rejected and have to overcome obstacles. Students coming out of high school are at a vulnerable time of life where a rejection can really set them back, so they need to hear this.”
Other educational events are ahead for students. Younger students will see a special performance of the Dinosaurs World act. Third-, fourth- and fifth-graders will attend an event about the book “Tomas the Library Lady.” Middle school students will attend an old-world European-style puppet show called “Kaytech the Wizard,” adapted from a novel written to entertain children in a concentration camp.
ALSO of note as the Bowlus prepares for its 60th year: The building is getting older. That translates into more repairs.
Over the past four years, Kays has overseen more than $600,000 worth of infrastructure improvements. Some of that was by choice, such as a badly needed new parking lot. But most of it was a necessity: replacing the main air handler system, a fire alarm system, sewer system upgrades and much more.
“We’ve replaced some major components in the building but we will have more challenges,” Kays said.
“That’s the other call for fundraising and getting those resources.”
Still on the list: replacing the roof over the main stage and new flooring. The original tile floor contains asbestos, which makes it costly and difficult to replace. Small sections of the building have new flooring but the majority needs to be updated.
“That’s a huge undertaking. Hopefully we can chase down some grants to help with that.”
Kays also has wish list items such as a new electronic sign with video to promote shows, and glass doors to replace the old solid front doors. The doors need to be replaced, regardless, because of mechanical problems, but Kays wants passers-by to be able to see into the lobby.
“I want to invite people into this facility. I want them to see all the activities we have going on.”
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