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Portland Taps Broadway Across America-Led Nonprofit to Run Portland'5 Venues
Portland has selected Portland Cultural Arts, a nonprofit formed by Broadway Across America leadership, to negotiate management of the city-owned Portland'5 venues, including Keller Auditorium and Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. The move from public to private management has raised concerns among employees about jobs, pay and retirement benefits.
Portland has chosen a nonprofit led by Broadway Across America to take over operation of the city-owned Portland'5 Centers for the Arts, a decision that will shift management of five downtown performance venues from the public sector to a private entity and has unsettled some longtime employees.
The city announced this week that it intends to negotiate with Portland Cultural Arts, Inc., doing business as Portland Cultural Trust, as the selected vendor for the venues: Keller Auditorium, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Newmark Theatre, Winningstad Theatre and Brunish Theatre. A notice of intent to negotiate and award was posted Monday, and on Friday the city updated its website to name Portland Cultural Arts as the chosen proposal.
"As defined by the RFP process, the City will now begin negotiations with the contractor that could lead to a contract award," the city's website states.
Portland Cultural Arts was formed in August by leaders of Broadway Across America, the organization that brings Broadway touring productions to Portland. The other bidder was Global Spectrum L.P., doing business as OVG 360, a subsidiary of the Oak View Group.
The venues were previously managed by the regional government Metro. At the end of 2025, the city and Metro agreed to dissolve a partnership that had lasted nearly 40 years, saying the change would "simplify governance and support long-term capital investment."
Broadway productions staged at Keller Auditorium are among Portland's most popular and lucrative live entertainment programs, according to city data. How the new management arrangement will affect plans for a city-owned performing arts center at Portland State University, which the City Council voted in September to move toward building, remains unclear. Broadway Across America has a strong interest in the future of Broadway shows in the city.
The transition has prompted anxiety among Portland'5 staff, who have raised questions about what moving from a public entity to a private operator will mean for their jobs, retirement benefits and pay.
At a City Council meeting in September, longtime Portland'5 employee Natalia McDonough told council members that affected workers "have deep institutional knowledge and personal investment in our staff, clients, the arts community and your buildings."
"Our government jobs gave us a way to serve and provide a stable future for ourselves and our families," McDonough said. "Is this the new normal for local government? Outsourcing the dirty work while paying lip-service to 'values'?"
The selection of Portland Cultural Arts marks a significant step in the city's effort to reshape how its flagship arts venues are run, as downtown theaters continue to draw smaller crowds than before the pandemic. Negotiations between the city and the nonprofit are expected to begin in the coming weeks.