If the 101 has done anything, it’s turned Valley arts into a buffet. Thanks to the loop, you can sample performances in Sun City one week and Queen Creek the next if you wish. And that, as much as anything, has made the Mesa Arts Center a hit.

“More than 60 percent of our audiences come from outside Mesa, with some coming from as far away as Glendale,” says Walter Morlock, MAC’s director of marketing.

“For some of the really big events, we get audience from Tucson, Prescott and around the state.”

When the center opened last year, talk from some quarters had it that because the performing arts demographic was largely outside the center’s immediate area, success was a dicey prospect. While Morlock will not quite declare victory–the season isn’t over, after all–the signs are good that the naysayers have been proven wrong. Season ticket revenues are only about $70,000 short of the projected goal, or $2.4 million for sponsored events, with weeks yet to go. Ticket revenue for all events, including rentals, is at $4.5 million and expected to reach $5 million by end of season.

Virtually everyone who has performed at any of Mesa’s four theaters raves about the acoustics, the design, and the ease of access. There hasn’t exactly been an exodus from downtown Phoenix, but the Phoenix Symphony, Arizona Theatre Company, Arizona Opera and other Phoenix‑based groups have given the new place a shot, with most planning to return next season.

“I think a lot of people looked at us as strictly East Valley, but we programmed for the whole Valley and the state,” says Morlock.

The programming is key.

“The quality of the events has been our success,” Morlock ventures.

“We are very event‑focused.”

Audiences have shown up en masse for MAC’s popular music events, for the Broadway series, and for theater such as Arizona Theatre Company’s mini‑series, and the Southwest Shakespeare Company’s season. Classical music and dance has been a somewhat harder sell, with the Utah Symphony Orchestra and the Mark Morris dance company attracting only 50‑60 percent houses.

Recently announced, the 2006‑2007 season at Mesa will include pop icons Kenny Rogers and Kenny Loggins; Mannheim Steamroller; legendary dance troupe Ballet Folklorico de Amalia Hernandez; jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis; the Vienna Choir Boys; the National Philharmonic of Russia, featuring pianist Olga Kern; Irish folk‑music masters The Chieftains; spectacular Japanese drumming ensemble, Kodo; the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre; and a spin‑off from the popular kids’ show The Wiggles called “Dorothy the Dinosaur and Captain Feathersword.”

Its global profile is the first thing that stands out about the new season. Also notable are the many events which have in the past played elsewhere. The Ailey company used to be a semi‑regular feature at to downtown Phoenix’s Orpheum Theatre. Marsalis has paid previous visits to Phoenix Symphony Hall and the Scottsdale Center for the Arts.

Rented events will include a return engagement by Arizona Theatre Company, and four productions from Theatre League, which generally performs at the Orpheum: Man of La Mancha, Jesus Christ Superstar, Cats and The Producers.

If you’re thinking of calling up today and ordering tickets, though, be warned: you can’t buy tickets for 2006‑2007 sponsored events until mid‑June unless you are a MAC member. MAC memberships, which start at $50 and go to $10,000, are an innovation that fits the population trends of the Valley very well.

“I tried subscriptions once and now I’m done,” Morlock declares. “With the transient, snow‑bird population here, we’re doing single tickets only.”

Instead of subscriptions, audiences can either take their chances on single tickets being available at the time of performance, or sign up as a member and get first crack.

There are currently 700 MAC members in various categories. For $50, you get first‑buy privileges. As the membership categories rachet up, other perks are added, such as parking privileges. One assumes that at $10,000 you’re given limo service along with champagne at intermission, but to get the real story call MAC at (480) 644‑6500 or log on to www.measa rtscenter.com.