Story by Codie Costello, President COO
This is the first edition of Alaska PAC Insider—a digital news hub designed to give our community a closer look at the work happening behind the scenes at your Performing Arts Center (PAC).
Over the coming months, we’ll be opening the doors—figuratively and literally—to share what it really takes to run, maintain, and evolve this civic cornerstone. We’ll explore how the PAC operates, the unique public-private model behind it, and the critical needs we face to ensure it continues to serve Anchorage for generations to come.
🎭 A Public Facility, Privately Operated
The PAC is owned by the Municipality of Anchorage, and it is operated and maintained by the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, Inc. (ACPA)—a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
This model is unusual—and powerful. While the Municipality holds the title, ACPA carries the full weight of day-to-day responsibility, including:
Managing building operations and logistics
Programming the facility with a mix of Broadway tours, community and commercial events, and performances by eight resident companies
Operating CenterTix, our in-house box office, which serves all events at the PAC and arts organizations across the community
Providing essential services like technical production, volunteer coordination, audience services, marketing and community engagement
Maintaining safety, security, and custodial care
Driving fundraising and donor engagement, often as the sole investor in capital and infrastructure projects
In short: ACPA makes the building run—every day—for everyone. And we do it with a deep commitment to serving the entire arts ecosystem in Anchorage.
🤝 A Partnership Rooted in Mission
The partnership between the Municipality and ACPA was founded on a shared belief: that Anchorage deserves a dynamic, accessible Performing Arts Center that reflects the diversity and creativity of its community.
Because of this mission:
We keep rental rates far below market for our eight resident companies, local artists and nonprofit groups
We prioritize access and equity in scheduling and space usage while optimizing opportunities for large scale events to help support rental subsidies for eligible user groups
We subsidize usage for our eight resident companies and dozens of nonprofit users
We reinvest every earned dollar from commercial programming like Broadway Alaska and services like CenterTix to support the building, operations and its users
We believe wholeheartedly in this model. But as a nonprofit ourselves, ACPA cannot continue to shoulder the full burden of these subsidies—especially while also managing millions in deferred maintenance and modernization needs.
🏗️ Deferred Maintenance & a Critical Need for Support
Over the years, ACPA has made repeated efforts to get the PAC included on local and state bonds to address urgent capital improvements—from outdated fire alarm systems and HVAC failures to aging stage equipment, safety and overall infrastructure.
Despite our best efforts, those bonds have not been supported—leaving the nonprofit operator to fill the gap.
We’ve done so quietly and determinedly, because we believe in the mission. But the reality is this:
The building is aging.
The needs are urgent.
The cost of inaction is growing.
With no dedicated public funding stream for capital improvements, we’ve reached a turning point. We must evolve the model—not to reduce our service to the community, but to ensure it can continue.
This means:
Reassessing and strengthening our partnership with the Municipality
Launching a full capital and community needs assessment
Engaging the community and civic leaders in a capital campaign to drive capital investment for modernization and long-term strategy
Building a more sustainable structure—one rooted in shared responsibility, increased annual operating support and shared success that will position us to drive additional investment
📣 What Comes Next
The upcoming capital campaign is not just about repairs or finances. It’s about preserving a landmark, honoring decades of community support and engagement, and positioning the Performing Arts Center for the future.
We’re committed to continuing our mission—to serve our community, resident companies, nonprofit users, artists, and grow our audiences. But we’re also committed to being honest: we can’t do it alone.
In future editions of Alaska PAC Insider, we’ll share details on:
The facility and community assessments and how they will shape a new strategic vision
Ways you can get involved—from attending a rich roster of the events hosted at the PAC to supporting PAC fundraising efforts like the Trend Alaska Fashion Show
Stories from the resident companies and individuals who make the PAC the cultural heartbeat of Anchorage
Thank you for being part of this journey.
Want to help now?
Here are some immediate ways to support:
· Buy a ticket to an event through CenterTix
· Buy a ticket to Trend Alaska Fashion Show – the event is Saturday, September 20th
· Donate to the PAC’s general fund
Thank you for your support and being a part of our shared story. Together, we can shape a sustainable and inspiring future for the arts in Alaska.