Berger Center's new operator books 30 events for Tucson theater

There's an out-of-town concert coming to the 500-seat theater. Several local dance troupes and a theater company were penciled in, and a local nursing program signed up for several days to host its pinning ceremony, a rite of passage for nurses going from the classroom to the professional world. 

"It's a beautiful mix of our community," said Ray Frieders, Saguaro City's marketing director. 

Frieders is running point on Saguaro City's year-long lease of the Berger, part of the now-closed Arizona Schools for the Deaf and the Blind at 1200 W. Speedway. ASDB in May agreed to lease the center to Saguaro City from July 1 to June 30, 2027.

ASDB announced in January that it was closing the schools, which had been at the West Speedway campus since 1922, and moving classes for its deaf students to Oro Valley. The school said it would no longer accommodate blind students, who school officials said could be mainstreamed into public schools, including in Tucson.

In May, a former ASDB instructor announced she was opening the nonprofit Tucson School for the Blind downtown for K-12 blind and visually impaired students. As of early June, the school's founder and director, Kate Scally, said they had enrolled 14 former ASDB students. 

Frieders said that since mid-March, he has been reaching out to potential renters, including so-called "legacy" renters, performing arts organizations and others who have a history with the venue. 

Among them is Ballet Folklorico La Paloma, which has mounted its annual "Tradiciónes" concert at the Berger for 20 years. The 44th anniversary event is on Aug. 29.

"We love it there," said founder and director Bettina Montañez, whose 20-member troupe performed at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. "The Berger is one of our favorite auditoriums."

The first event at the Berger under Saguaro City is the Oro Valley-based U.S. Pole Sports Federation competition July 16-19. Organizers expect hundreds of athletes from around the country to participate in events that blend acrobatics and dance centered around a pole.

Other events include Gotta Dance Tucson later in July; Ballet Tucson's "Steps Forward" in September; and Reveille Men's Chorus in December. 

Other organizations that have booked dates with the Berger include Kids Unlimited, Carrington College, Arizona College of Nursing, Sonoran Ballet Academy and Concerts in America, which specializes in classical music artists, Frieders said. 

Saguaro City Artistic Director Drew Humphrey said he hopes the company can work out a long-term arrangement with ASDB to either lease or buy the theater "and keep the Berger Performing Arts Center a performing arts center."

To do that will take an assist from the community, Frieders said. Saguaro City will add $300,000 to its operating budget to run the Berger, which includes paying rent, utilities, landscaping and minor maintenance. Frieders said rentals will cover just a third of that.

Greg Knopf, a member of the Saguaro City Board of Directors, issued a $35,000 matching grant challenge as part of the company's Berger Center fundraising campaign. For more information, visit saguarocity.org.

"We're hoping that the community steps behind us and supports us," Humphrey said. "In between now and June 30, 2027, we're going to do everything in our power to be successful in running the Berger with the community in mind, first and foremost."

Organizations interested in renting the Berger can email Frieders at ray@saguarocity.org.