Bob Renekar said, “Recorded music is heard. Live music is lived.” This is also the philosophy of Robert Hollis, President of The Spire Center for Performing Arts in downtown Plymouth. As a touring musician, Hollis spent his music career spreading the gift of music on any stage available. After a few years on the road, Hollis and his musician wife, Donna, decided they wanted to settle and realized that Plymouth was lacking an organization and a hub for local, live arts. Together, they founded the Greater Plymouth Performing Arts Center, Inc. (GPPAC) -a nonprofit organization founded in 2010 and dedicated to performing arts and educational programs which support the vibrant arts community in the greater South Shore region.
With GPPAC up and running, they began to search for a venue to further their mission and capabilities. After learning that Congregation Beth Jacob’s community center, formerly a Methodist church built in 1886, was mostly unused in downtown Plymouth, Hollis approached the Community Preservation Committee to fund the restoration and transformation into a performing arts venue with a mission of presenting a wide variety of entertainment appealing to all generations within the region as well as the thriving New England tourist community. As a cultural asset, The Spire promised to provide an economic boost to historic Plymouth’s active downtown area as the cornerstone for the arts. “We were very fortunate to have a lot of community support and enthusiasm from the start. We were encouraged to see that others wanted a home for performing arts, too,” says Hollis, “We strive to support and expose all kinds of music to all kinds of people at an affordable price.”
In October 2012 the Plymouth Town Meeting voted overwhelmingly to appropriate $650K in Community Preservation Funds to acquire and renovate the building at 25 1/2 Court Street in downtown Plymouth. The Town of Plymouth also granted GPPAC with a 100 year near-free lease of the treasured property. Renovations began with a focus on the interior. Particular attention was paid to enhancing the existing acoustics, making sure the audience had clear sightlines with no obstructions, and recrafting and restoring the architecturally beautiful interior that have become The Spire’s trademark. “We are not a club,” Hollis clarifies, “We are a listening place where the music and the act are the focus. We wanted it to be a fun place, but not like a club where people are up and talking and moving around -we wanted to focus on the performer-audience connection.” The result was a 225-seat performance hall featuring superior acoustics that are unmatched by other local venues, custom state of the art lighting and sound systems, and original period architectural details offering patrons an exceptional performing arts experience.
Once The Spire Center was ready for audiences and acts, Hollis began to build a staff and a volunteer team to assist in the mammoth efforts needed to run this promising non-profit. Staff was hired to handle the business duties, work the box office, advertise, operate the lighting and sound equipment, serve as ushers and run hospitality services, be bartenders, perform building maintenance, fundraise, and even be security detail for the guest performers. “We have about five full and part-time employees and about twenty employees total, as well as about fifty volunteers. We also have a board and all of them are musicians, so they really understand what is needed here and how to go about doing it,” says Hollis.
With a restored and staffed venue, an eager staff and volunteer team, and community support backing them, Hollis has been able to line up a healthy stream of local and national artists and groups. Vice President and Director, Lloyd Rosenburg, scouts out performance groups as well as screens and schedules groups that apply to perform at The Spire Center. The result is a lineup of roughly 150 shows a year featuring everything from jazz, classical, rock, comedy, ensembles, country, folk, and blues. “We wanted to give aspiring and local talent a place to get exposure, experience, and build a community base as well as give the community the gift of live music,” says Hollis, “There is something missing when it is a recording. When it is live, it is tangible and you connect with it in a more meaningful way. When it is live, it is also different every time -which makes it really special.”
In an effort to reach a wider audience, The Spire Center offers several unique opportunities to catch a show. The first is their Lobby Series. This series is presented by The Antonia and Vladimir Kulaev Cultural Heritage Fund and was created to support emerging and established artists across New England by offering them a professional platform to share their work with engaged audiences. Experience live music like never before—up close and personal in our unique Lobby Series.
Designed to shine a spotlight on local and regional talent, this series invites audiences to discover rising artists and seasoned performers in an intimate, 70-seat lounge-style setting right in the heart of the Spire. The house lights are dimmed and the atmosphere is warm and inviting as the lobby is transformed into an intimate listening room where music takes center stage. From folk and roots to jazz, indie, and beyond, each performance is a chance to connect in a smaller crowd with the artist, the music, and the community. Tickets are $15 to provide an affordable opportunity to experience live music.
Another style of performance offered by The Spire Center is the Sunday Serenades. Hollis explains, “These are Sunday matinees that offer the chance to attend a concert that isn’t on a weekend evening or late at night. A lot of people, especially after Covid and particularly the elderly, prefer to avoid going to shows and concerts late and night, so we have many patrons who prefer these earlier-in-the-day chances to attend a performance.”
In addition to these creative ways to attend a live show, The Spire Center is also set to provide a one-of-a-kind learning opportunity for aspiring musicians. This September, The Spire Center will launch The Spire Center Music Academy. The academy will offer teachers, directors, classes, and venue space for training musicians, ensembles, choirs, songwriters, composers, and other live performance groups or individuals. “We are passionate about not just showcasing local music, but helping to create more of it,” says Hollis.
Other upcoming events at The Spire Center for Performing Arts include The Americana Theater holding the house for a few weeks in July, and a country music festival that kicks off August 22 with CMA Vocal Duo of the Year and ten-time singles hits on the Country Music Charts, Thompson Square. Of course all of these exciting shows are set to draw plenty of crowds and that is also a necessity for the mission of The Spire Center. “The biggest challenge is always funding,” says Hollis, “We have to be able to pay the bands and performers, the staff to run the shows and maintain the venue, and invest in the forthcoming events and plans to keep it all running. We put a lot of work into finding the most affordable way to price tickets while still ensuring this all runs smoothly and we have a great lineup of performances.”
The Spire Center also gives back to the community by increasing patronage and tourists for surrounding businesses. “You know if we have a Saturday evening performance, the chances are that our patrons will go to a nearby establishment to eat or shop,” Hollis points out, “So some of the surrounding businesses have been really supportive in donations and advertising for us and we like to do the same for them. Anything that enriches one spot in the community enriches all of the community.”
With The Spire Center offering so much to Plymouth and the surrounding towns, it can’t be overlooked that perhaps the community should double the effort to give back to The Spire. The Spire Center also relies on its membership base for crucial funding and support. Memberships are available at different tiers and offer various discounts and perks throughout the year. “Right now, we have about 550 members for The Spire Center and we could not do what we do without them,” states Hollis. “Things like 10% discounts, advanced ticket sales, preferred and private seating, and other events are available to our members to thank them for their support.”
If you are looking to get involved with The Spire Center and preserving and promoting live, local music, you may want to consider volunteering as well. “We are always looking for volunteers as well as collaborative partners in the community,” says Hollis. “It takes a lot to keep it all running, but it is worth it to see how GPPAC and The Spire Center have enriched the community and helped local musicians.” If you are considering a visit to The Spire Center for a lively, Saturday evening jazz band, or relaxing string trio for a Sunday matinee, or perhaps you are part of a local band looking to perform for your home-crowd with unbeatable acoustics -rest assured, once you experience the magic The Spire Center has to offer, you will realize it is more than a venue -it is a home for the priceless, timeless energy exchange between artist and audience, and that is always worth the investment.