For the past three years, in a sunny office on the second floor of the Open Space for Arts & Community, co-founders Janet McAlpin and David Godsey have been putting their considerable creative talents toward a brand new act. Calling it a makeover from the inside out, the two performing artists are launching a $1.5 million renovation of the building with a kick-off gala event — The Big O — the first Sunday in June.

Excitement for the upcoming changes, which will likely begin in mid-December, was palpable as the couple explained the reasons behind the renovation and their new vision for the 15,000 square-foot building, which over the course of the last eight years has hosted more than 175 performing arts and community events.

On a walk through the building during a recent interview, Godsey, who has been working with the Seattle architectural firm ARC, and McAlpin pointed out plans for the interior reconfiguration. For starters, the new entrance will be on the north side of the building, a suggestion that arose in consultation with a feng shui expert. Inside, visitors will step into a large lobby connected to a light-filled hallway that extends

the length of the building. The west side of the proposed corridor, which currently serves as the training area for the aerialists and acrobats, will be transformed into a 100-seat black-box theater, something McAlpin can’t wait to use.

“It will be the only black-box theater on the island,” she said, catching the eye of her fellow actor and Open Space Development and Communications Director Maria Glanz. “I want us to do our ‘clowns on a bench’ — the possibilities are endless.”

On the east side of the hallway, what is called the Grand Hall with seating for about 400 and standing room for 600, will flip directions. The stage will move from the west to the east side of the building. The area along the south side, which the couple and staff lovingly refer to as the Duck Palace, will be divided into four large classroom/meeting spaces with windows punched out to bring in light and doors that will open out to the Great Lawn — the meadow behind the building that makes up Open Space’s full 10 acres. Much-needed functional additions will include two new bathrooms, a new heating system and insulation.

And though ARC drew up the architectural plans based on the needs Godsey and McAlpin have identified over the past eight years, with the spirit of inclusivity, Godsey and McAlpin intend to invite all islanders to participate in the changes.

“We see this renovation as a barn raising,” Godsey said. “We want to involve the whole community.”

Since purchasing the former Seattle’s Best Coffee warehouse in 2006, the couple’s original dream of having enough room to accommodate physical theater and other community arts performances has morphed as the building’s use has grown.

“Starting out as artists is why we didn’t say, ‘Okay, we have to have our strategic plan,'” McAlpin said. “We did make one, and a year into it, we realized this was evolving way faster than the document, so we had to develop evolutionary vision, and that’s where we put our eggs.”

They say what hatched is a gathering place for the community, a place large enough to hold the 1,800 to 2,000 people who attended the 2016 Democratic caucus and flexible enough to allow organizers of Crush the Fog, a community event for healing and suicide prevention, to create the evening as they envisioned it. Godsey and McAlpin speak with admiration and enthusiasm about the ways islanders have used the space they generously gave to the community in 2008 as a “philanthropic initiative.”

“If there weren’t ideas on the island, then we wouldn’t be able to do this,” Godsey said. “We meant this as an opportunity, not as a sculpture fixed in cement.”

McAlpin added that they wanted to have the space where all of their artistic impulses and those of islanders could flourish, “opening up the possibilities and place for that kind of creative thinking to land.”

While more than $2 million has been raised by and for island nonprofits under the roof of the former warehouse, The Big O will be the first fundraiser for Open Space — any shortfalls in the operating budget are subsidized by the generosity of the vibrant and philanthropic couple. Already, $600,000 has been raised, but they need islanders’ help to reach their financial goal. Sunday’s event will include a dinner catered by The Hardware Store Restaurant, a silent and live auction plus “a small selection of fabulous prizes.”

Looking ahead, McAlpin and Godsey envision outdoor rooms tucked away at the edges of the Great Lawn, flexible spaces for classes from aikido to dog training, concerts large and small, performances in the air and on the ground, community events of all kinds.

“As long as (Open Space) keeps providing or being valuable, that’s great. If it becomes something the island doesn’t need, then it won’t be here. It’s hard to imagine that unless the island changes,” Godsey said, and then added with a wry smile, “If they put in a bridge, well, I can’t vouch for that.”

The Big O Gala

All islanders are invited to attend the Open Space’s fundraising gala at 5 p.m. Sunday, June 5, at the Open Space.

Tickets are $55 for individuals, $100 for a couple or $550 for a table of 10 and can be bought at Vashon Bookshop, the Open Space box office or online at brownpapertickets.com.