Cape Fear Regional Theatre Seeks $3.5M from County for ‘Act 2’ Capital Expansion

Cape Fear Regional Theatre leaders told the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners they are requesting a one-time $3.5 million contribution over four years to complete "Act 2" of a capital expansion, which they said is already largely funded by private and other public investments.

Mary Kate Burke, artistic director of Cape Fear Regional Theatre, said the group has committed 72% of the funds needed and is asking the county for a final county contribution of $3,500,000 paid over four years (about $875,000 per year). "This project directly supports your strategic priority of providing cultural and recreational activities," Burke said. She noted the theater completed an earlier interior renovation in 2021 funded without public support and said the expansion will be income-generating and carry no ongoing county maintenance responsibilities.

Burke and other speakers detailed the theater’s community reach. Burke said CFRT served more than 62,000 people last year, including about 20,000 children and youth, and that enrollment in classes has grown 89% over five years. Student Lana Drawhorn testified about how CFRT changed her life and cited professional opportunities that followed her training at the theater. "When you fund this theater, you're not just building a building. You are building the future," Burke said.

Speakers asked commissioners to consider the county’s prior supportive actions: letters of support to state and federal representatives and earlier budget-year endorsements from individual commissioners. County staff said the request would be discussed further as part of the broader cultural- and community-funding conversations scheduled later in the budget process.

No formal decision was made at the hearing. Commissioners scheduled community-funding discussions to continue during upcoming budget work sessions where staff said they would provide more detail about capital outlay, grants and other cultural funding lines.