Would big-name artists really come to Hilton Head?

There are more questions than answers about a proposed arts and entertainment campus on Hilton Head Island that could cost up to $65 million.

Advocates say it will be be an economic boon for the town and region and provide much-need space for the town’s symphony, choral society and other arts groups.

But critics say it’s an unrealistic pipe dream that could put taxpayers on the hook for years to come. Today, the second-part in our look at questions around the project focuses on our ability to draw performers, the town’s responsibility for the campus’ future, what it means for the current arts center and the uncertainty around the question of how deep community support runs.

What acts could we draw?

The money-maker for the new campus would be well-known performers who would play at the campus’ outdoor amphitheater, advocates say.

Those acts might include Tony Bennett, Darius Rucker, Yo-Yo Ma, James Taylor, Josh Groban, Bonnie Raitt, Celtic Woman and Wynonna Judd, according to Dan Castro, vice president of Community Vision of Hilton Head, a group of community and business leaders working to bring an arts venue to the island.

That could be a big gamble because of the heat of summer, rain and other inclement weather, according to those who run other South Carolina arts venues. For example, older performers such as Tony Bennett may not want to perform in the heat, said Megan Riegel, president and CEO for the Peace Center in Greenville.

“It’s the most nerve-racking thing in the world,” she said, referring to outdoor events. “When it rains, you’re in trouble. Because when it rains, you are going to be paying for the cost of the artist regardless. You can’t cancel. So if you have a $100,000 artist out there, too bad. You’re out that money.”

Canceled amphitheater events would reverberate throughout the campus because its ticket sales would subsidize the campus’ indoor space where the Hilton Head symphony, choral society and other groups would be housed.

And there’s no way to say at this point whether performers of that caliber would make the trip to Hilton Head.

“You certainly have great potential for that,” said Riegel, adding that, in the end, it most often comes down to how much a venue will pay a performer. “And how much you’re willing to pay to get that to work often depends on the size of your venue.”

In addition to negotiating with acts, a center has to be “right-sized,” experts say, or have the correct number of seats.

“It’s all about the math,” Riegel said. “Because at the end of the day, the math’s got to work for the institution that’s got to either net something out or know what they’re subsidizing on these acts over time.”

And booking is not as easy as making a list of the artists you’d like to have, she said.

“A lot of it depends on, is a tour going out and are they routed through your area? That certainly makes things a lot easier,” she said.

Savannah Music Festival’s Executive and Artistic Director Rob Gibson had similar views and added that “radius clauses” which prevent musicians from playing at competing venues within a specified area and time frame can also complicate matters.

All of these considerations are why it’s crucial, both Gibson and Riegel said, to have a “strong project vision” and knowledgeable staff on board.

“You can build the greatest hall in the world,” Gibson said. “But if you don’t have good people running it, it will fail.”

How expansive would the town’s role be?

The Town of Hilton Head Island would own the campus buildings and lease them to a yet-to-be-determined group, according to the setup suggested by the CVHH. The Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn follows a similar model.

Money to cover operational costs and expenses would come from ticket sales, sponsorships, donations and fundraising efforts, Castro said. Additional money could also come from grants and the state, though planners are hopeful that the center would break even by the second or third year.

But it’s yet to be seen if the town is willing to own and maintain the campus. And it’s anyone’s guess what would happen if the campus fell short of covering its own expenses.

Hilton Head Mayor David Bennett, the campus’ biggest advocate on Town Council, said a newly formed venue committee will take up these issues in the coming months. It will issue recommendations to Town Council in December.

The model — of having the town own the building, a management group or nonprofit run the center and using additional sources of revenue to cover costs — is not impossible if the math is there, experts say. Both Francis Marion University’s Performing Arts Center in Florence and the newly renovated Gaillard Center in Charleston use similar models.

“You see a lot of arenas set up that way,” Riegel said.

What about the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina?

Many residents point to the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina as proof that building an arts campus could hurt taxpayers.

“I just don’t think the island is big enough for a big arts (campus) when we have to struggle to keep the (arts center) we have,” said Charles Lenzinger, a Hilton Head resident.

The arts center, which hosts drama, comedy and musical theater, has long struggled financially. Its leaders have requested that the town take over its building, its $400,000 in annual upkeep and roughly $2.5 million in needed improvements.

Town Council is considering the move as well as finding $575,000 to replace the center’s failing light system.

A majority of Town Council members feel certain there’s room enough for both venues on the island, although they’re still working to figure out how.

Meanwhile, leaders with the arts center are supportive of at least one part of the art campus plan: the indoor concert hall, said chairman Richard Speer, noting that arts center leaders were asked to provide a report to Town Council on arts facilities in 2014 and encouraged them to build a 1,200- to 1,500-square-foot hall that the Hilton Head Symphony could use.

“The only issue is to get the operating costs down to … $8 to $10 a foot,” Speer said. “And we believe they can do it.”

But he stopped short of endorsing a 5,000-seat amphitheater, saying he “questioned the economics.”

“The presenting business ... is very tough economics,” he said. “They don’t come here because they don’t like us. It’s because we’re not a big enough market.”

Do we really want it?

In the end, it may not matter if the plan is sound, experts say, if the community doesn’t support it.

Aside from an unscientific poll the town commissioned in 2013 to gauge public support for a new arts venue, no one knows if town and county residents want it.

The CVHH has not conducted any public support surveys, Castro said. These would come after the town makes a commitment.

Hilton Head residents such as Frank Mangan say they’re frustrated by the proposal, particularly with what he cites as a lack of “real answers” from Bennett and Town Council.

“How do you think they’re going to support this thing when the original arts center never raised all the money they wanted to raise for that,” he said, referring to the original campaign to build the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina.

Mangan added that it would be better if campus advocates raised their “own money” first.

“It has a higher possibility of working out when it comes with an endowment attached to it,” he said.

But others, including former CVHH member Spencer Stouffer, say the campus is a good idea, particularly as baby boomers retire and start looking around the country to relocate.

“I think (having an arts campus) would give more credence to why someone would want to make this their retirement home,” Stouffer said.

Perhaps the biggest winner in the proposal would be the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra, whose 1,500 to 1,800 audience size is too big for its current performance space at First Presbyterian Church. That’s impacting the orchestra’s ability to grow and reap additional revenues, said Mary Briggs, president and CEO of the orchestra.

To accommodate their audiences, the orchestra typically offers two shows, which can be pricey once it pays the church, the musicians, the conductor or guest conductor and the guest artist for both performances.

“All of this runs between $10,000 and $20,000 per concert depending on how large the orchestra is for each concert and how expensive the guest artist is,” she said.

A new campus would benefit the symphony as well as the other area arts groups.

“Over the years, people have said that the arts organizations don’t collaborate,” she said. “I beg to differ that we do, given the confines of the venues we have. And we would do more with dance or with opera, if we have the proper venues.”

A common arts campus is something this area is missing, she went on to say.

“For the orchestra it is critical, but for a community need, it could become a true asset.”

This story was originally published April 30, 2016 at 8:00 AM with the headline "Would big-name artists really come to Hilton Head?."