ARTS RISING AT CSUN UNIVERSITY'S COMMITMENT TO CULTURE LEADING TO PERFORMANCE CENTER.Byline: Fred Shuster Staff Writer EVEN THOUGH groundbreaking on a brand-new high-tech performing arts center A performing arts center, often abbreviated PAC, is a multi-use performance space that can be adapted for use by various types of the performing arts, including dance, music and theatre. is still at least three years away, California State University, Northridge CSUN offers a variety of programs leading to bachelor's degrees in 61 fields and master's degrees in 42 fields. The university has over 150,000 alumni. It's also home to a summer musical theater/theater program known as TADW (TeenAge Drama Workshop) that leads teenagers through an , is going full-steam ahead on a lively program of forthcoming events, kicking off Saturday, to excite arts fanciers. Already a cultural center of the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. , CSUN CSUN California State University Northridge is an important symbol of what creative-arts programming can mean to a busy suburban area generally noted for strip malls, cineplexes and dense housing rather than Broadway musicals, foreign films and Haydn string quartets. One current must-see example of CSUN's commitment to the arts is a fascinating exhibit of classic Hollywood lobby art on display throughout Manzanita manzanita: see bearberry. Hall, home to the Cinema and Television Arts Department. The exhibit features wonderful framed posters from the films of Joan Crawford, George Raft, James Cagney, Clark Gable and many others. Meanwhile, although funding for the new theater is still a question mark, CSUN officials say it will be built within five or six years one way or another. The university now utilizes its Performing Arts Center (PAC), a 500-seat venue that's the largest theater in the Valley. Voters will decide on a $250 million bond measure on the Nov. 5 ballot that would raise $15 million for fire and earthquake safety measures safety measures, n.pl actions (e.g., use of glasses, face masks) taken to protect patients and office personnel from such known hazards as particles and aerosols from high-speed rotary instruments, mercury vapor, radiation exposure, anesthetic and at the future $75 million, 1,600-seat CSUN center. The remaining $60 million needed would come from a $20 million private sector match and other sources. Private and corporate contributions will be the thrust of the capital campaign. ``If the bond measure doesn't pass, we go forward anyway,'' said William Toutant, dean of CSUN's College of Arts, Media and Communication. ``The bond would be a great catalyst, but we began to study the idea at the beginning of the year and at that point didn't even consider the bond.'' Ambitious plan The university-sponsored feasibility study The analysis of a problem to determine if it can be solved effectively. The operational (will it work?), economical (costs and benefits) and technical (can it be built?) aspects are part of the study. Results of the study determine whether the solution should be implemented. provided carefully considered opinions, data and recommendations on the proposed theater, part of a163,000-square-foot project - to include lecture and rehearsal halls, classrooms, dressing rooms, design and sound studios, a lighting lab and an additional 250-seat black-box theater - and gave the green light to an open area at the northwest corner of East University Drive and Nordhoff Street. ``We haven't even begun the design stage,'' Toutant said. ``We have the study, the square footage and rough size and how much space we'll need for rehearsal. We know the size of the thing. We have an artist rendering, but we haven't gone out and shopped for a designer yet.'' Other relatively new arts centers within the Cal State system include performance venues at universities in Long Beach, Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. and San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo (săn l  `ĭs ōbĭs`pō), city (1990 pop. 41,958), seat of San Luis Obispo co., S Calif., near San Luis Obispo Bay; inc. 1856. . The University of California, Davis The University of California, Davis, commonly known as UC Davis, is one of the ten campuses of the University of California, and was established as the University Farm in 1905. , also has a recent addition. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. CSUN President Jolene Koester Jolene Koester is the president of California State University, Northridge. The California State University Board of Trustees announced her appointment as president on November 16, 1999, and she took office as the fourth president of the University on July 1, 2000. , a new arts center would be a natural way for the Northridge university to fulfill its mission. ``It's not only a way to contribute to the cultural life of the Valley, but it will allow another way for the university to feed the creative spirit of the people in this region,'' she said. ``This geographic area doesn't have this kind of a performance venue, and there are lots and lots of people who care about the arts and would love to be able to celebrate the arts nearby. There are already very high-quality programs that go on here.'' The 2002-03 season, which opens Saturday with harmonica harmonica. 1 The simplest of the musical instruments employing free reeds, known also as the mouth organ or French harp. It was probably invented in 1829 by Friedrich Buschmann of Berlin, who called his instrument the Mundäoline. great Jean ``Toots'' Thielemans, is certainly among the current center's most attractive. The series touches on contemporary jazz, modern dance, classical music and Broadway musicals. ``A lot of times, people in the Valley just don't go over the hill,'' said Los Angeles choreographer Lula Washington, whose widely admired dance company will debut a new commissioned work at the PAC in February (the troupe first appears there Oct. 26). ``I'm just so pleased to be able to take my work to the campus. It's a wonderful opportunity to connect with the community in such an intimate space.'' This season marks the first year Washington's ensemble will be CSUN's resident dance company. She has also agreed to teach some community outreach sessions on and off campus. Captive audience Ideally, groundbreaking could begin as early as 2005, Toutant said. He added the study revealed that within a 15-mile radius of the campus, there are around 185,000 households with a high likelihood to attend cultural events, plus 300,000 households with a moderate to high propensity to attend Broadway and pop shows. ``We're talking about a range from pop to Broadway to classical to ballet and modern dance,'' Toutant said. ``There's a real need and desire for it here. We have the audience, and we'll eventually have the space. And we've been extremely encouraged by the degree of commitment and support from individuals and organizations.'' Koester says that while major touring companies and soloists will be warmly welcomed at the new venue, CSUN students will also find it to be a hospitable and useful educational environment. ``It means for our students a superior venue where they can interact with many cultural groups that will come in and perform, and we'll be able to celebrate their excellence in a venue that matches their talents,'' she said. ``This is a partnership with the teachers, the students and those in the Valley that care about the arts.'' Toutant added if the arts center booked an attraction like the ``Rent'' road show, for example, students could be involved in such capacities as employees, interns and possibly even performers. ``We're not seeking to be competitive with the Music Center downtown but rather complementary to such places,'' he said. ``We imagine that for artists set to appear in Cerritos or Orange County that don't plan a stop in L.A., we'll give them a place where Valleyites can experience those talents.'' COMING THIS SEASON TO THE STAGE Here is the lineup for CSUN's 2002-03 performing arts season, which kicks off Saturday. Among the year's offerings at the campus Performing Arts Center (PAC) is the popular jazz series titled Jazz(at)Night, featuring the Clayton- Hamilton Jazz Orchestra in its first year as resident jazz ensemble. Also, CSUNDance launches this year with the Lula Washington Dance Theatre, also in residence at the university. The breakdown: JAZZ Saturday: Jean ``Toots'' Thielemans/Kenny Werner Duo - Thielemans, the harmonica master who played the ``Midnight Cowboy'' theme, accompanied by his favorite pianist. Nov. 23 and April 12: Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra - Among the best big bands in the country, it recently completed a season at the Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is a modern amphitheatre at 2301 North Highland Avenue in Hollywood, California, USA, that is used primarily for music performances. The "bowl" in this context is the natural cavity in the earth into which the amphitheater is built, rather than the shape of the . Feb. 7: Eddie Daniels Eddie Daniels (born 19 October 1941) is a prolific American musician. Though he is most well-known as a jazz clarinet player, he has also played alto and tenor saxophones , as well as classical music on the clarinet. Daniels was born in New York City to a Jewish family. Quintet - The award-winning jazz clarinetist. DANCE Oct. 26 and Feb. 15: Lula Washington Dance Theatre - The admired and highly energetic African-American dance company. March 29: Taylor 2 - The six-member dance company founded by inventive choreographer Paul Taylor
April 26: State Street Ballet - The Santa Barbara Santa Barbara (săn'tə bär`brə, –bərə), city (1990 pop. 85,571), seat of Santa Barbara co., S Calif., on the Pacific Ocean; inc. 1850. troupe performs ``Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet star-crossed lovers die as teenagers. [Br. Lit.: Romeo and Juliet] See : Death, Premature Romeo and Juliet archetypal star-crossed lovers. [Br. Lit. .'' STARS IN THE PAC Nov. 13-14: Tango Pasion - Set in the sensual tango bars of Buenos Aires Buenos Aires (bwā`nəs ī`rēz, âr`ēz, Span. bwā`nōs ī`rās), city and federal district (1991 pop. , this exhilarating Broadway musical features the best Argentine dancers. Nov. 17: Patti Page Patti Page (born Clara Ann Fowler on November 8, 1927 in Claremore (some sources give Muskogee), Oklahoma) is one of the best-known female singers in traditional pop music. - Two shows with the ``Tennessee Waltz'' thrush thrush, in medicine thrush, in medicine, infection caused by the fungus Candida albicans, manifested by white, slightly raised patches on the mucous membrane of the tongue, mouth, and throat. (a Show of the Month event). March 21-22: Judy Collins - The folk star reaches back to her Irish roots during the St. Patrick's St. Patrick's or Saint Patrick's may refer to:
April 4-5: Inti-Illimani - The Chilean folk group presents the music of political songwriter Victor Jara. MUSIC GUILD CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES Nov. 4: Parkanyi String Quartet - Pieces by Haydn, Wolf and Schubert. Dec. 9: New Hollywood String Quartet - Pieces by Haydn, Ravel and Schubert. Feb. 10: Brahms Piano Trio. March 10: Mendelssohn String Quartet. April 14: St. Petersburg String Quartet. Subscription tickets still available. Single tickets on sale for all events. Seats can be purchased online at cvpa.csun.com - the site boasts the complete schedule of performances, art gallery and cinema events - or by calling (818) 677-2488. The CSUN ticket office is in the lobby of Nordhoff Hall in the Theatre Department and is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and one hour prior to curtain. Many events start at 8 p.m. but there are also matinees and earlier performances of some events. The Performing Arts Center is located on Zelzah Avenue, between Prairie and Plummer streets in the Student Union Complex. Patrons should use parking lot G4. - F.S. CAPTION(S): 3 photos, box Photo: (1) Artist's rendering of CSUN's new performing arts center proposed for the northwest corner of East University Drive and Nordhoff Street. (2) William Toutant, Dean of CSUN's College of Arts, Media and Communication (3) Classic Hollywood lobby art on display at CSUN's Manzanita Hall, home to the Cinema and Television Arts Department. The exhibit features posters from the films of Joan Crawford, George Raft and others. Box: COMING THIS SEASON TO THE STAGE (see text) |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion