Umpqua Private Bank, a division of Umpqua Bank, has joined Portland Center State in demonstrating that “art is good business” by becoming the organization’s top corporate sponsor. The Presenting Sponsorship will underwrite three 2010/2011 season productions and expand opportunities for both organizations to engage with the community and contribute to the larger cultural conversation of Portland. The gift represents a 715% single-year increase in Umpqua Bank’s commitment to the artistic programming at Portland Center Stage and is the largest corporate gift to Portland Center Stage in the past two seasons.

This dramatically increased investment will make Umpqua Private Bank a Presenting Sponsor for three key 2010/2011 projects: the season opening Main Stage production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Tony Award-winning musical Sunset Boulevard; the Ellyn Bye Studio World Premiere of Jordan Harrison’s Futura; and the Main Stage production of the acclaimed Oregon Novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Accompanying the sponsorship will be opportunities for Umpqua Private Bank’s employees and clients to increase their participation in the cultural life of Portland and to utilize Portland Center Stage’s artistic resources to expand their own team building and creative capacities.

“We are so grateful for the deepened commitment Umpqua Private Bank has made in support of our 2010/2011 season,” explains Portland Center Stage Artistic Director Chris Coleman, “And we look forward to this opportunity to build upon our two organizations’ shared values of neighborhood engagement and community building.”