Count Basie Theatre Expansion

The 89-year-old theater, which sits near the site where jazz great Count Basie grew up, will receive stage and lighting upgrades, a new dressing room, artists’ lounge, expansion of the load-in area, offices, classrooms and a new performance space next to the theater, officials said.

The venue attracts more than 200,000 people every year and officials hope the upgrades attract more name-brand acts and Broadway-level shows. The project will be entirely funded by donors so it won’t start it until the money is raised. Officials hope to break ground by 2018 or 2019.