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‘Underutilized?’ Ames City Auditorium continues to take steps in 2025

A band, all in black, is on a stage washed red playing their guitars and drums. In the background, an image says Jett Threatt.
Craig Kaufman
Jett Threatt, a Joan Jett tribute band, plays at Ames City Auditorium in March 2024. The auditorium's programming last year included a concert series of tribute acts to some of rock and pop's biggest legends.

Many Ames community members associate Ames City Auditorium with their children’s grade-school concerts, dance recitals, and awards ceremonies, and those events continue to have a home in the space. But for Craig Kaufman, who manages the auditorium, bandshell and community center for the City of Ames, the venue can be — and is — more than what it's been known for.

Craig Kaufman doesn’t like the word “underutilized” when describing Ames City Auditorium, the 881-seat venue he manages.

Many Ames community members associate the auditorium with their children’s grade-school concerts, dance recitals, and awards ceremonies, and those events continue to have a home in the space. At the same time, Kaufman, who manages the auditorium, bandshell and community center for the City of Ames, has worked steadily to expand the auditorium’s programming in recent years while upgrading its technical capabilities and amenities.

Craig Kaufman, dressed in a black sweatshirt, stands facing the camera in the Ames City Auditorium, with red theater seats behind him.
Fred Love

“‘Underutilized’ is the word that people say all the time about it, and I don’t know that it’s necessarily underutilized. We are very busy,” Kaufman said. “But I think diversifying the utilization so it hits a broader range of community members is what I would like to happen.”

It’s not so much that the auditorium isn't sufficiently utilized, he said during an interview from one of the seats near the front row. But he suggests that maybe it could be utilized differently to create new opportunities for arts and entertainment in Ames and the surrounding area.

The building that houses the auditorium began life as a high school in 1938. The city converted the space to its city hall, police station and community center in 1990. The auditorium, with its spacious stage, theater-style seating and balcony became a valuable resource for community organizations to rent for programs and performances. Elementary schools continue to host concerts in the auditorium, complete with grade schoolers lining up on risers while proud parents and grandparents record videos from their seats. Local dance studios also stage their end-of-the-year recitals there, and community organizations rent it for programs and ceremonies.

First and foremost our responsibility is to our community arts groups. That’s who we serve, and that’s who we try to help as much as we possibly can... A lot of my job in the auditorium is doing that, and we’ll always do that no matter what.
Craig Kaufman

Kaufman took over management of the auditorium roughly eight years ago after gaining extensive experience as a lighting, audio and video engineer in New York. He’s the only full-time staff member attached to the auditorium, and the limited manpower necessarily places restraints on the events the venue can host. Despite those limitations, the venue has attracted a growing list of music concerts since 2016, as well as stage productions and open mics.

Kaufman plans to continue hosting a diverse lineup of events in 2025, though he notes the space’s core mission remains unchanged.

Four instrumentalists are pictured on stage with pink lighting, playing their guitars.
Craig Kaufman
The Fifth and Clark concert series, held on Friday evenings, allows Iowa artists to gain experience on the Ames City Auditorium's spacious stage.

“First and foremost our responsibility is to our community arts groups. That’s who we serve, and that’s who we try to help as much as we possibly can,” Kaufman said. “A lot of my job in the auditorium is doing that, and we’ll always do that no matter what.”

But he remains on the lookout to grow beyond that core mission to create new opportunities for the community. Grants from the Iowa Arts Council have helped the venue host concert series the last few years. The 2024 concert series, known as Fifth and Clark Fridays, presented Americana and country artists Danny Grause and the Bird Hunters in November. The venue's reach is expanding digitally as well, as the auditorium has made use of audio and video equipment to capture recent concerts in the series, allowing artists and the auditorium to make use of the content online.

Kaufman said the auditorium will announce more concert dates for 2025 soon and will host a “decades night” series, during which musicians will play sets composed of hits from particular eras, like the '70s, '80s and '90s.

Last year, the auditorium provided opportunities for a range of community members to take the stage during open mics and open jams. The events featured everything from teen guitarists strumming Taylor Swift covers to experimental songwriters testing brand-new compositions. Kaufman said those events received a warm response from patrons, and he would like to get more events like those on the 2025 calendar. Participants gained valuable performance experience on a stage and with a sound system much larger than most bars or clubs can provide, Kaufman said.

UPCOMING AMES CITY AUDITORIUM EVENTS

  • Feb. 14 — 16 & 21 — 23: The Last Illusion
  • Feb. 28: Fifth and Clark Fridays: Abbie Sawyer and Patricia Holly
  • March 1: Concert and campus bands
  • April 27: Concert and campus bands

Last August, the auditorium began selling alcohol and concessions at events for the first time, a process that Kaufman spearheaded. Alcohol and concessions open a new revenue stream that may entice promoters to consider the auditorium as a possibility for touring regional and national acts, a vision that Kaufman embraces.

Kaufman is also overseeing the installation of new speakers in the auditorium this year, following previous improvements to the mixing board and monitors. Last year, the auditorium opened up a course for participants to learn how to use audio technology for stage productions. Kaufman said he hopes to follow that up in 2025 with a general audio engineering course for students and community members.

Kaufman invites all members of the Ames population, from long-term residents to newcomers to Iowa State University students, to attend events and offer input to shape the auditorium’s continued development and utilization. After all, he said, the auditorium belongs to the community. Literally, in this case.

Fred Love is a contributing writer covering music for Iowa Public Radio. Love is a father, husband, communications professional and passionate music fan. He lives in Ames where he participates in the local music scene and is a co-producer of the Maximum Ames Music Festival. He blogs at rockroads.home.blog.