The Friends of the Performing Arts in Concord (FOPAC) is a non-profit organization which was founded in 1972. Our mission is:
To maintain a venue at 51 Walden Street and provide an environment where individuals and groups in music, drama and other arts may perform for the enjoyment of the community |
The resident groups at 51 Walden are The Concord Players, The Concord Band, and The Concord Orchestra. There is also a dance studio upstairs, which is rented to several dance teachers who teach classes ranging from classical ballet and creative movement for children to ballroom dancing.
51 Walden is managed by Carole Wayland, who works closely with the Board of Directors. FOPAC provides liaison with the resident performing groups, and hosts special events such as the Veterans Day coffee, a New Year's Eve party, Waltz Night, and a community Messiah Sing in December. The resident groups collaborated for several years to present semi-staged performances of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas: The Pirates of Penzance, HMS Pinafore and The Mikado. In March of 2010, there was a very successful performance of Die Fledermaus.
The shingled Queen Anne-style building now known as 51 Walden, was constructed in 1887 to serve as the town armory. It was recently named to the National Register of Historic Places. and a commemorative brass plaque was unveiled at a ceremony on Veterans Day, November 11, 2007.
During the summer of 2006, we reconstructed the historic but well-worn drama stage floor in order to bring it up to code, modernize the surface, and add a trapzone and paint trap. This project also included renovation of the Green Room, which is directly beneath the stage.
FOPAC received $120,000 in Community Preservation Funds from the Town of Concord thanks to town meeting voters in 2006 and 2007. We raised another $120,000 through private donations and special events, including the exciting dance show Don't Stop the Rock produced by Karrie Stang, and a costumed concert performance of Pirates of Penzance, a collaboration of the three resident groups conducted by Alan Yost.
In the winter of 2008, we refurbished our musician chairs with assistance from the Sudbury Foundation, which awarded FOPAC a $2000 grant. In 2010, FOPAC received $75,000 from the Sawyer Trust, which is administered by Concord's Comprehensive Sustainable Energy Committee. With this grant, we were able to install two new modulating condensing gas-fired boilers, replace windows in the lobby, insulate and air-seal the building, and restore the windows and fans above the drama stage to help exhaust hot air and provide better circulation in the hall. We are very grateful for these grants, which have enabled us to make much-needed improvements to the building.
51 Walden is a treasured resource for the greater Concord community; it is used by hundreds of musicians, dancers, and thespians of all ages each week. Our audiences are treated to a wide range of concerts and plays throughout the year.If you'd like to contribute to the operation of the building, please make your check payable to FOPAC and mail it to P.O Box 251, Concord, MA 01742. For further information about how you can help, contact the FOPAC office at (978) 369-7911, or e-mail us at fopac@verizon.net
Revised 7/13/10
Concord Players
Concord Orchestra
