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Southern Community Auditorium reports nearly 11,000 ticketed attendees; $125,000 grant advances modernization bid
Summary
Auditorium leaders told the Southern Door County School Board the community-series ticketed attendance was "just under 11,000" in 2025–26, highlighted a $125,000 Door County Community Foundation grant toward a motorization modernization project and said fundraising will cover remaining costs so the district bears no direct liability.
Corey Vanderine, program director for the Southern Community Auditorium, and technical director Josh Lardoise presented the 2025–26 season recap to the Southern Door County School Board, reporting "the total ticketed attendance for this past season was just under 11,000" for community-series shows and roughly 3,500 student attendees in arts-and-education programs. Vanderine said the auditorium hosted 25 community events, drew attendees from 142 Wisconsin cities and 16 other states, and that grant and sponsorship revenue help offset production costs.
Vanderine provided a sample event reconciliation showing total revenue of about $11,300 for one show and a net revenue of roughly $4,800 after expenses; he said sponsorships (about $2,000 for that example) typically do not cover full performance fees but help with advertising. He described the auditorium as a shared community asset that also supports district events such as school musicals, and credited volunteers for operations from load-in to box office and concessions.
The presenters described a modernization project to motorize stage electrics so battens can be lowered to stage level — an upgrade they said would improve flexibility and allow students to participate safely. The initial estimate, from an earlier study, was approximately $400,000; Vanderine said the auditorium has been fundraising and was awarded a $125,000 grant from the Door County Community Foundation toward the project. He said the team plans to secure a designer, issue RFPs in accordance with district policy, and continue fundraising so the district would not carry project liability.
Board members asked clarifying questions about reconciliation procedures and fundraising; Vanderine said event-by-event reconciliations are shared with the district business manager and that the auditorium aims to cover each community-show expense. "We have not had a single show where we've ended with a negative number," Vanderine said about the post-revamp community programming. The board offered thanks and moved on to the referendum discussion.
