About
Hailed as “an unprecedented alliance between the public and private sectors” and “a magnificent addition to downtown,” the Kathleen C. Cailloux Theater first invited the Hill Country public inside its sumptuous lobby and auditorium on March 27, 2003 for a performance by the San Antonio Symphony. Now the Cailloux is fulfilling its mission to be a center for cultural and civic life in Kerrville.
In what former Governor Rick Perry called “a momentous occasion,” the Grand Opening concluded a four-year project to turn the 1950’s-era Municipal Auditorium into a first-class performing arts center.
With the vision of transforming an antiquated and inadequate “all-purpose” space into an enviable performance hall to be used by both local and traveling performing groups, Kathleen C. Cailloux kicked-off the project by committing her financial support. Playhouse 2000, headed by its President, Kit Werlein, and founders, Susan and Doug Balentine, then accepted the responsibility for moving the project forward. Then, the City of Kerrville, under the guidance of Mayor Ben Low, formally approved the project and the operating agreement which makde the public/private partnership possible.
Generous gifts from Kathleen Cailloux were supplemented by large contributions from the Hal and Charlie Peterson Foundation, the Sterling-Turner Foundation, the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, and others. Additional gifts were received from more than 600 individual and business donors from across the region. Ultimately more than nine million dollars were raised to complete the transformation which took place on Main Street.
Finally, hundreds of hands, under the direction of some of America’s foremost designers and planners, spent fourteen months in their work , culminating in the grand opening of Kerrville’s own world-class performance hall.
Playhouse 2000 continues working to realize the dream of The Kathleen C. Cailloux City Center for the Performing Arts.
