11/19/2025
City of Surprise and Dysart Schools approve agreement for use of The Vista Center for the Arts
Surprise, AZ (November 19, 2025) The City of Surprise will be presenting arts and cultural programming at The Vista Center for the Arts beginning in summer 2026. At their meeting on November 18, 2025, the Surprise City Council approved a Facility Use Agreement with Dysart Unified School District (DUSD) that defined terms of use for the facility.
DUSD’s District Governing Board approved the same agreement at their meeting on November 17, so this vote finalized the contract.
DUSD will continue to own, operate and maintain The Vista Center for the Arts (The Vista). The district will also maintain responsibility for booking third-party rentals and will retain all the revenue from those bookings.
However, under the new agreement, DUSD will provide the City with 25 weekends each Fiscal Year to bring shows to The Vista under the umbrella of the City’s new presenting division, Surprise Arts. The shows will mostly consist of professional touring acts but may also include several local productions each year.
“This is an opportunity to enrich our community by bringing high-quality performing arts programming close to home,” said City of Surprise Sports, Entertainment and Culture Director Kendra Pettis. “But it’s not only about offering shows – we intend to bring a focus on educational programming and connecting professional touring artists to students and the community for even richer arts experiences that will inspire creativity and learning.”
The City will pay DUSD an all-inclusive daily rental fee for use of the facility. The deal also creates a pathway for capital improvements at The Vista that will enhance the facility to benefit DUSD’s school programming and rental program, as well as meet the basic industry standards needed for the City to produce a quality presenting program.
The City will invest in the capital improvements, and in exchange, DUSD will waive the City’s rental fees until the facility improvements are reimbursed in full. The improvements include updates to equipment at the end of their life cycle such as lighting, video and audio systems.
“Dysart Unified School District is proud to strengthen our partnership with the City of Surprise through this agreement,” said DUSD Superintendent Dr. John Croteau “The Vista Center for the Arts has long been a place where our students and community come together, and this collaboration expands those opportunities in meaningful ways. By bringing high-quality performances, educational experiences, and capital improvements to The Vista, we’re investing not only in the arts but in the growth and inspiration of our students and families. We look forward to seeing this partnership elevate the arts across our entire community.”
The foundation of this agreement came from a facility assessment and strategic business operations review of the Vista Center for the Arts that was commissioned by the City to evaluate if a presenting program at the Vista, managed by the City, could be successful. That study was completed in April 2025 by TheatreDNA and Assembly Arts. The final report is available at surpriseaz.gov/VistaStudy.
The Vista Foundation, a nonprofit group that previously supported DUSD with presenting touring acts at The Vista, was a key player in the study process and has committed their continued support through advocacy and fundraising to help expand and improve the facility, quality of programming and guest experience.
“We are encouraged by the collaborative efforts of both the City of Surprise and DUSD to ensure the continuance of professional performing arts programming at The Vista Center for the Arts,” said Vista Foundation President Jon Cavaletto. “The arts are such an important part of our community, and we look forward to continuing our support through the City’s new presenting program, Surprise Arts.”
Surprise Arts is expected to present its first show at The Vista Center for the Arts in summer 2026. Details will be posted, when they are available, at surprisearts.com. To get updates straight to your email inbox, sign up for the Surprise Arts Mailing List.
