A new sound system at the Yukon Arts Centre would mean enjoying the same audio experience from any seat in the house.

First, though, at least $90,000 of the required $250,000 for the equipment must be raised.

Next week, the arts centre and Yukon Arts Foundation will kick off the Sound Bites campaign with a special event for invited guests aimed at informing them of the initiative.

Foundation chair Duncan Sinclair and arts centre CEO Al Cushing spoke with the media about the plans at a press conference Thursday at the arts centre.

Further events are planned, including a café table experience in the orchestra pit during this month's The God That Comes shows.

Tables for four will be available for $400 each, with each one receiving a bottle of wine and some munchies for patrons to enjoy while they also take in the show.

Various groups which use the 21-year-old arts centre for performances have also been told of the effort.

They have indicated they will also support the fund-raising efforts with their own donations, Sinclair said.

As both Cushing and Sinclair emphasized, the current 1986-era sound system is outdated.

As Duncan compared, it goes back to a time when cell phones looked more like bricks and most people played music on record players or cassette decks.

"The world has changed,” he said.

Speaker clusters such as those the arts centre has on the right and left of the stage no longer deliver the quality of sound most audience members have come to expect.

In some cases, it was noted, people can get better sound quality in their vehicles.

To demonstrate the issues with the system, Josh Jansen, the arts centre's technical director, played The End by The Doors, getting reporters to walk through the theatre.

In some spots, he noted, the vocals were drowned out and the audio was slightly different depending on what part of the theatre a person was in.

New systems, Cushing said, allow for audio mapping to happen from every seat during the design to ensure each seat gets the same sound.

"We can really create a sound that's uniform for us,” he said.

Cushing's excitement over the possibilities a new sound system could bring the arts centre was evident as he spoke of seeing arts performances Outside.

In Edmonton, for example, he attended a show featuring a flutist.

The sound system allowed the flutist to walk off the stage, playing the flute, with the sound continuing to project from the stage.

As Sinclair said, that kind of technology opens a lot of possibilities for theatrical performances.

For Sinclair, speaking of the proposed new sound system brought back his own experience the first time he saw an Imax movie.

"You feel like you are there,” he said, recalling the realistic sound of thunder in that movie.

"You're going to really feel like you're in the bubble,” he said.

The system would include full surround-sound capabilities as well as new hearing assistance equipment.

Both Cushing and Sinclair voiced their confidence in raising the initial $90,000 as soon as possible – aiming for a one-year time period – with the remaining cash needed to be sought through grants.

As they pointed out, many grants are based on a contribution where the organization must match at least a third of what's being provided.

Fund-raising for the $90,000 would ensure the matching funds that may be needed are there.

This marks the first fund-raising endeavour for the foundation following a hiatus that came when Whitehorse hosted the 2007 Canada Winter Games.

Sinclair noted with so much community focus needed on the Games at that time, the arts foundation – at that time known as the Yukon Arts Centre Foundation – took a break.

Last year, it began working again – now under the banner of the Yukon Arts Foundation, which allows numerous arts organizations to benefit from its efforts.

While the Sound Bites campaign will benefit the arts centre in this case, both Sinclair and Cushing noted many groups using the arts centre to stage their performances will benefit from the new sound system.

Along with the many events planned around the campaign, Cushing and Sinclair said supporters can also donate through www.canadahelps.org or by dropping off a cheque or cash to the arts centre or mailing it to Box 16, Whitehorse, YT, Y1A 5X9.