Long-time Concord civic and business leaders Roy and Sue Davis have given the Cabarrus Arts Council $100,000 to name the new performing arts theatre in the Historic Cabarrus Courthouse.
The Roy and Sue Davis Theatre is in the former courtroom space on the second floor of the historic building. The theatre was created when the courthouse was renovated in 1983 but it lacked amenities necessary for performances. The gift from the Davises will help fund its transformation into a state-of-the-arts theatre for major performances. Construction is set to begin in the next few weeks and will include the installation of a sound system, theatrical lights, a video system and stage curtains and backstage improvements.
The theatre renovation is part of a construction project that will also include the creation of three art galleries on the first floor and dressing rooms and classroom space on the currently unfinished third floor. So far the arts council has raised more than $300,000 for the project and future programming.
Roy Davis, chairman emeritus of S & D Coffee, said that the Historic Cabarrus Courthouse is central in some of his earliest memories of growing up in Concord. “The courthouse has been the center of the community my entire lifetime,” he said. “Sue and I love the arts and the theatre, and we like what the arts council is doing to bring arts and especially theatre to the courthouse. It is most appropriate that we participate in this because the roots of our company and our family are in Concord.”
“We are delighted that Roy and Sue Davis want to have the theatre named for them,” said Noelle Rhodes Scott, arts council executive director. “Their lives in this community are a testament to their goodwill and to their dedication to making the world a better place. The legacy of the Roy and Sue Davis Theatre will be appreciated by generations to come.”
Concord native Roy Davis built the company his father co-founded, S & D Coffee, into one of the largest coffee roasters in the United States. He has been a leader in a wide variety of civic activities, including chairman of the Salvation Army Advisory Board, chairman of the Concord Board of Education, chairman of the Concord Chamber of Commerce, chairman of the First Charter Board of Directors for more than 20 years, board member at CK Federal Savings and Loan and elder at First Presbyterian Church.
Sue Davis, a former school teacher who grew up in Charlotte, was one of First Presbyterian Church’s representatives on the committee that founded the Cooperative Christian Ministry. She was also involved in the formation of the Salvation Army Auxiliary which she served as an officer and has been awarded Life Membership in both the Junior Charity League and the First Presbyterian Church Women of the Church.
Additional naming opportunities are available, including three gallery spaces on the first floor of the Historic Cabarrus Courthouse. For more information, please call the Cabarrus Arts Council, please call 704-920-ARTS (2787) or visit www.cabarrusartsouncil.org.
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