Construction projects of new local theaters across the country have created a nonprofit-theater building boom in recent years, with total expenditures coming close to $1-billion, reports The New York Times.

Some observers say that this building boom has been undertaken to create theaters to attract national talent, which is a move away from the traditional role regional theaters have had in their communities, the paper reports. Meanwhile, donors who gave generously to support building projects may be called upon again to help the annual funds at regional theaters, the budgets for which have swelled along with the costs associated with building projects, the Times reports.

But theater companies, often operating out of substandard facilities, are in a bind and see the new buildings as their only way to stay relevant and attractive to patrons and actors. For example, the Minneapolis Guthrie Theater moved into a new $125-million building overlooking the Mississippi River, the paper reports.

“You either grow or you die,” Joe Dowling, the Guthrie’s artistic director, tells the Times.

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