Support Us

Why We Need Your Support

Paramount Theatre is more than just a presenter of great performances…

We constantly strive to be a spirit-lifting, community-building institution. The word on the street is, we’re succeeding. We hope that makes us worthy of your charitable contribution. A gift to Paramount strengthens the artistic and economic vitality of our community — and that’s a gift that keeps on giving.

Excellence comes at a price. But our promise is excellence at a low price — one that makes live performance more accessible to every family across our region. Our commitment is to encourage more people to explore the arts, many for the first time, with ticket prices that seldom reflect the full cost of our productions. We’re also committed to extending the arts to our community’s less fortunate — with programs such as our new “Theatre for Young Audiences Touring Program,” which will bring performing arts to underserved youngsters across our community.

The Economic Case

Paramount employs many area residents — we’re a theater committed to casting locally, building sets on-site, using a full live orchestra, etc. But that’s just the beginning…

Each year, Paramount generates foot traffic of almost half a million people through our neighborhood. With the second largest subscription base in the nation, our Broadway Series hosts nearly 250,000 audience members every year. Thousands of summer music fans at RiverEdge Park and growing student rolls at our School of the Arts increase visitor totals still further. All these visitors have a powerful effect on our community’s economic health, supporting the growth of restaurants and shops, turning empty storefronts into new developments, making downtown Aurora an increasingly trendy place to live and work, and contributing an estimated total of $36 million in local economic impact. Importantly, our programs diversify our local economy, creating the balance that helps a community stay strong and vibrant — and providing an economic spark that will make a big difference as local businesses strive to recover from coronavirus closures.

The Quality-of-Life Case

Impact on a community is one thing; impact on individual lives is another. Here, too, Paramount shines…

Loyal subscribers and occasional patrons say the same thing: that the presence of great performing art, close to home and at an affordable price, has a powerful effect on their quality of life. In an era when entertainment is increasingly electronic, virtual and enjoyed in isolation,
a shared theater experience with thousands of fellow community members takes on a compelling and treasured dimension. Mounting shows with both broad appeal and lofty production values, Paramount increasingly wins critical acclaim, but our most treasured kudos come from our audience members. One fan spoke for many when she said, “Paramount has style that never fails. These shows make me think, make me laugh, make me cry. What else could do that?” When our audience members describe the arts as “a vital part of raising children,” “essential to a life fully lived” and “humanity at its finest,” we know Paramount is succeeding in its mission.

For more philanthropic opportunities, please contact Chief Development Officer Jonathan Jensen at 630-723-2484 or jonathanj@paramountarts.com.

Paramount Arts Centre, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

To Our Paramount Family

The hush will make you humble.

For one moment, join me here. You and I are sitting in the Paramount Theatre — Aurora’s ornate, venerable, cavernous monument to the performing arts. Around us, an echoing silence.

This grand place has stood here for nine decades with a single purpose: to bring people together. It’s done a lot of that recently, as our subscriber base has grown to #2 in the nation in just 10 short years.

Why did we grow so fast? You know. You’ve seen our artists put their all into their craft. They fill even this room with sounds that amaze. Every shout and sigh, every whisper and whine, every swoon and swell — every tinkle, clank, strum, ping, pop, bang and boom — is lovingly designed to fill your senses and tell our story. (And those are just the sounds… don’t get me started on the sights they deliver!).

Sure, we could cut corners. A live orchestra at every performance is an expensive choice. But could anything less do justice to this magnificent room? What else could fill this hall… or your heart?

I hope all this talk about sound resonates with you (sorry, couldn’t resist!).

Our lives are quieter right now. We’re all social distancing, holding our collective breath until the world returns to normal. I hope the “normal” you long for includes this beautiful great hall. Someday soon, this amazing room will ring again with a swelling orchestra, crooning actors and pounding applause. But we can’t do all that without you. Because, truth is, it’s you — our donors — who will fill this space with sound.

Now is the time to invest, to add certainty to tomorrow, to plant your flag in our future. As one of the most important members of our donor family, you can make a great difference as we weather the coming months. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Tim Rater
President and CEO
Paramount Theatre

Planned Giving at the Paramount

“When I donate here, I feel that I really see the results on stage. Yes, I give because the shows are amazing — but mostly to make sure it all continues.”

For generations, theater-goers have enjoyed musicals, concerts, movies and more on-stage at the Paramount. A planned gift to the Paramount Theatre will fulfill our mission to introduce the magic of live performing arts to future generations.

The Encore Society honors individuals that have chosen to arrange a planned gift to support the Paramount in their estate plans. Such a gift enables you, the donor, to achieve your personal financial goals (e.g., limiting estate taxes, provide for your heirs) and leave a lasting legacy to support the Paramount.

As you make long-term financial arrangements with family and loved-ones, including estate plans, please consider the Paramount. Gifts of any amount are accepted and can be designated to the fund of your choice.  Benefits are life-long and begin as soon as you notify us of your gift and send a copy of the documentation that mentions the Paramount Theatre. In addition, naming opportunities may be available.

For more information on Planned Gifts and the various gift giving vehicles to support the Encore Society, contact Jonathan Jensen, Chief Development Officer at 630-723-2484 or jonathanj@paramountarts.com.

sponsor a show

For more philanthropic opportunities, please contact Chief Development Officer Jonathan Jensen at 630-723-2484 or jonathanj@paramountarts.com.

Paramount Arts Centre, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

Thank you to our generous donors!

For more philanthropic opportunities, please contact Chief Development Officer Jonathan Jensen at 630-723-2484 or jonathanj@paramountarts.com.

Paramount Arts Centre, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.