A new performing arts centre could be coming to the Island following a report by local charity The Centre Limited.The report, titled “An Appreciative Inquiry into Performing Arts in Bermuda,” revealed a strong desire to build a centre that can be the core of a sustainable performing arts ecosystem.More than 300 people were interviewed over ten months as part of the report, including both those involved in the arts and those who are not.Richard Butterfield, President of The Centre Limited, said that the performing arts give the community a shared experience, bringing them closer together, a belief that was reinforced by the report.“All of us involved in the project were stunned at the depth of feeling expressed by those interviewed, even by interview participants who had never performed,” he said.“For audience members and performers alike, experience within the performing arts is often transformative.“Participants also told us that they feel much of the social ills plaguing Bermuda can be attributed to creative energy channelled in the wrong direction. There’s a strong feeling that some of the healing that our community so desperately needs can be facilitated by the performing arts.”With the first phase of the project complete, he said the centre would now start to focus on what exactly would be required by the performing arts centre, carrying out more interviews.“The first phase is the ‘why’ phase, and the second phase is the ‘what’ phase,” he said. “We are just beginning that work now. That will probably take until the end of the summer.”He said by the end of the year, he hoped to have a solid idea of what kind of facility would be built, along with how much it will cost and where it should be located. Part of the drive to build a new centre for the arts, Mr Butterfield said, is that the demand for such a facility currently outstrips what City Hall and the Ruth Seaton James Auditorium can offer.“For the last 50 years, the City of Hamilton has been the patron of the Arts in Bermuda. City Hall has two art galleries and a theatre.“It is delightful there, but we have outgrown it. It will continue to be used I’m sure, as will the Ruth Seaton James Auditorium, but the wishes of the Bermudian community are for more than these two places can offer.“Ruth Seaton James is a school hall, and I believe the school gets first call, and should. The City Hall is frequently not big enough, and there are only so many days in the year for every one to get to use it.”