Contact Information
For more information on this exciting new project contact
Larry Schlenoff,
CEO, North Peninsula Jewish Campus
Phone: 650.312.8016
The Center for Arts and Ideas
Community • Collaboration • Transformation
A Hillbarn Theatre and Peninsula Jewish
Community
Center Project
“There is no better indicator of the spiritual health of our city, its neighborhoods, and the larger region than the state of the arts. The arts deepen our understanding of the human spirit, extend our capacity to comprehend the lives of others, allow us to imagine a more just and humane world.”
- Jonathan Fanton
President, MacArthur Foundation
What is The Center for Arts & Ideas?
The San Mateo County Cultural Plan of 2002 identified the number one need as cultural facilities: spaces for exhibition, auditions, rehearsals and performances. Similarly, the Foster City Chamber of Commerce has identified arts offerings as its primary need. The Center for Arts and Ideas, a collaboration between Hillbarn Theatre and the Peninsula Jewish Community Center (PJCC), will be a performing arts venue and a community gathering space in the heart of San Mateo County that will directly address that need.
Our Goal
Complete the construction of a Cultural Arts Center and initiate a successful artistic, intellectual, cultural, and theatrical program such that, together, the PJCC, Hillbarn and other collaborative partners create a leading civic, cultural centerpiece for the Peninsula.
Our Vision
The Center for Arts and Ideas will be a catalyst for communal transformation, a change agent for the communities, as well as the artistic and cultural organizations, of San Mateo County.
Because of its consistent delivery of outstanding theatrical, artistic, intellectual, and cultural offerings The Center for Arts and Ideas and its two anchor tenants – the Peninsula Jewish Community Center and Hillbarn Theatre – will become the most sought after collaborative partners for arts organizations around the Bay. Other cultural and arts organizations, ranging from the Mexican Heritage Theater to the Peninsula Symphony Orchestra, will find in the Cultural Arts Center a warm venue for their own presentations. At The Center for Arts and Ideas, the power of collaboration and partnership will be leveraged for the benefit of the entire Peninsula. Furthermore, The Center for Arts and Ideas’ location will create a cultural center of gravity for the community of Foster City, as patrons and participants stream to the new downtown.
As a gathering place, a welcoming artistic space, a venue for your next celebration, a site for your next corporate meeting, a safe place of exploration, and a beautiful home-away-from-home, The Center for Arts and Ideas will be second to none. With multiple venues, including a dedicated theater and a flexible performance, banquet, or lecture space, The Center for Arts and Ideas will become a beacon for the most innovative artists and the greatest minds in the Jewish and non-Jewish communities.
In its new home, Hillbarn Theatre's commitment to ‘Redefining Community Theatre™’ will grow exponentially as new opportunities further engage the community, audiences and theatre artists through its distinguished programming. There, children will be able to enjoy a performance or take part in one through Hillbarn Theatre’s expanded Conservatory programming. Adults may choose to participate in or to attend a weekend production of a musical, drama or comedy. The community, professional staff and actors who will share in Hillbarn’s productions will find its technical and artistic appeal exceptional. As a result, when people in San Mateo County think “theater,” they will think of Hillbarn.
Similarly, the PJCC will become the “place to be” for individuals and families, for arts-goers and dance enthusiasts, for aspiring actors, and for budding musicians. On the Peninsula, there will be no better purveyor of unique Jewish and multicultural offerings. If you’re looking for a klezmer concert, a top-notch community theater production, an Indian dance performance, a youth theater conservatory, or a scholarly discussion of U.S. immigration policy, The Center for Arts and Ideas will fit the bill. With both emerging and established artists and thinkers, or “the latest and the greatest,” The Center for Arts and Ideas will become a truly great presenter of artistic, cultural, and intellectual offerings. Finding an unsold ticket to a Hillbarn or PJCC production or presentation will be a rarity.
Really, why leave San Mateo County? You will soon have a vibrant home for the arts right here in Foster City.
Basic Project Facts
- 33,000 square feet of total construction
- Main Hall: Capable of seating 400 people with periodic use by Foster City
- Flexible seating will also allow for banquets and large community gatherings for up to 350 people
- Hillbarn Theatre: Intimate space to seat 259 that will serve as its primary home (though it will retain its current theater building)
- PJCC Community Room: 100 seat venue for smaller events and displays
- Shared Facilities: Workshop, Kitchen, Lobby, Box Office, Building Systems, Other
Cornerstone Programs
Hillbarn
- MainStage
- Children’s Conservatory
- Adult Conservatory
- Readers’ Theater
- Technical Theater Internship Program
PJCC
- Jewish Programs
- Multicultural Offerings
- Youth and Family Programs
- Collaborations and Partnerships
Our Purpose
Arts and ideas transform individuals and communities because of their power to enlighten, educate and entertain. As a community gathering place, we will present cultural, artistic, theatrical, and intellectual offerings to strengthen and explore the shared human experience through cross-cultural understanding.
Our Shared Values
Welcoming Everyone with Joy
The Center for Arts and Ideas is open to all, committed to inclusiveness, representing the diversity of the communities we serve. We have a deep respect for the community in which we navigate and challenge our audiences and participants to think and explore.
Artistic Integrity
The Center for Arts and Ideas provides audiences and artists the freedom to explore. We deliver performances and programs that promote creativity, honest artistic expression, and excellent production values.
Community Focus
We provide a safe gathering place and supportive environment for both artists and audiences. The Center for Arts and Ideas is an inviting, comfortable, safe, and warm place.
Life-Long Learning & Education
The Center for Arts and Ideas provides meaningful, life-long learning experiences for both children and adults. We are dedicated to active teaching and learning, through all stages of life.
Making the World a Better Place
We actively seek to better ourselves, our families, our communities, and our world.
For more information on this exciting new project contact Larry Schlenoff, CEO, North Peninsula Jewish Campus at 650.312.8016.
