Music Theatre Wichita is seeking $1.5 million in city, county and state sales tax breaks to renovate a former Wichita school building at 640 N. Emporia as it plans to move out of Century II Performing Arts Center.
Music Theatre Wichita plans to continue holding its summer shows at Century II but will move its administrative offices, production shops, educational classes and rehearsals to the former Metro Midtown and Webster Elementary School building. It will also begin hosting smaller performances at the new space, which will be called the Judy Slawson Center for Musical Theatre.
The new center would also include a café and two smaller theaters for audiences up to 200 people, according to the city’s agenda report. Century II’s Concert Hall seating capacity is 2,100 people while Century II’s Mary Jane Teall Theater has 652 seats. The Wichita City Council will vote on whether to approve the incentives Tuesday, Sept. 15.
The sales tax abatements — $1.3 million from the state, $114,000 from the city and $86,000 for Sedgwick County — would come with an agreement by the city to issue $20 million in industrial revenue bonds to fund the renovation…