The project would be built within five years on the college campus on U.S. 441 North in Leesburg, 45 miles northwest of Downtown Orlando. Pringle, a founding member of the Arts Association, is asking Lake County and the city of Leesburg to participate in the money-raising effort. The goal is $10 million that will be matched by the state from a construction fund set up especially for community college projects.

The venture is being undertaken after years of frustration by local theater buffs having to travel to Orlando to see Broadway shows and concerts. The Leesburg arts center hopes to become part of the national booking circuit that would bring the big-city shows directly here.

The county's lone fine arts auditorium, seating 440, is located on the Lake-Sumter College. The proposed arts center is being modeled after the Okaloosa-Walton Community college at Niceville, FL in northwest Florida near the Georgia border.