As the curtain closed on last year’s A Street Car Named Desire, Columbia Classical Ballet saw $18,000 in costumes and sets folded up and rolled out the doors of the Koger Center, leaving only good memories behind. But this season, the company — which almost always rents its costumes and sets for non-Nutcracker productions — is trying something new and risky by creating all of the costumes and sets for Friday’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

While most arts organizations are playing it safe or hanging on for dear life, artistic director Radenko Pavlovich and the Columbia Classical Ballet board are looking to the future, while remaining in budget. But all-new sets and costumes aren’t the only things that are unusual about this season opener.

This spring while the board was meeting to put together the 2009-2010 budget, “Radenko came in and asked for $17,000 more to pay the dancers,” chairwoman Lee Lumpkin says. “In the worst budget year, and he wants more?”

Pavlovich and the board came to an agreement: They would give him an extra $17,000, but he would have to forego hiring any outside choreographers for the season, an expense that usually ran from $10,000 to $12,000. Instead, Pavlovich would choreograph The Hunchback himself, something he had not done in years, for free. Pavlovich got the money for his dancers, which he believes played a role in 14 choosing to return for another season.

Over the summer, Pavlovich began researching and planning. He studied the story, which is based on the Victor Hugo novel. He also drew on memories of the ballet Esmeralda, which he saw as a child. He consulted books about the early Renaissance and listened to hours of music.

“I started to realize how massive this job was,” Pavlovich says. “But I couldn’t complain. This is what I wanted. This is what I asked for.”

Pavlovich shared his vision for the costumes with Mila Wilkes-Davis, a costumer and mother of one of his dancers, who volunteered her time and services. Pavlovich, an admitted perfectionist, wanted the costumes to be made with high-quality fabric and be as faithful to the time period as possible — which meant focusing on a lot of browns, tans and oranges.

“I wanted to make it a little distinct from Camelot, which also happened during this time period,” Wilkes-Davis says. “It was actually kind of dull. We had to take a few liberties, especially when it came to fitting. Clothes of that time were worn very loose, but dancers need them more form-fitting.”

In total, about 50 new costumes will be made that require about 20 hours apiece to complete.

The company took on a three-year lease on a warehouse, which they are using to store the costumes as well as to create and store the new set built by George Mirabal.

Last spring’s sold-out performance of The Wizard of Oz was a turning point according to Lumpkin. For the first time ever, Columbia Classical Ballet was given the same amount of funding from Columbia City Council as the older and larger Columbia City Ballet; Lumpkin attributes that in part to the success of Oz. This year, each company was awarded $125,000 in hospitality tax funds, which are to be used for marketing.

Lumpkin and Pavlovich hope that an increase in advertising and promotions — coupled with new choreography, sets and costumes — will result in another sold out show.

“We know all of this could change on a dime,” Lumpkin says. “At the end of the day, it’s the numbers. We need to prove that we deserve the extra money we were given. It’s time for us to turn the corner.” 

Friday evening’s performance is at the Koger Center and starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $13 to $33 and are available at the Coliseum box office, online at capitoltickets.com or by phone at 803-251-2222.