The performance lineup for the new Valley Performing Arts Center (VPAC) will be announced Thursday.
Performances for the new VPAC are set to cover a wide range of styles, further demonstrating the versatility of the new space.
VPAC insiders have remained tight-lipped about the lineup of performances for the Spring 2011 season, which will begin Feb. 5.
Pamela Bock, VPAC director of marketing and strategic communications, said that although she cannot disclose the lineup, she can promise a season with an eclectic mix of styles for everybody.
“We really want the first season to be a splash,” Bock said. “ There will be everything from classical, dance, and current popular performances.”
Robert Bucker, dean of the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media and Communications, said the selection process of the 14 performances planned for next year involved meeting with artist managers from all over the country at a presentation series in New York. The VPAC team then decided on a variety of performances that would appeal to the public as well as the campus community.
Bucker said he recognizes the student body will be frequent attendees of the center and included the interest of the academic community in their selection process.
“They (the students) were definitely considered when we were deciding on the roster, ticket prices, and lectures that would be featured at the performance hall,” Bucker said. “We asked ourselves, ‘What would appeal to students and faculty?’”
Matthew Hohmann, theatre major, said he plans on being a regular attendee of the new theatre and that the VPAC committee should not hesitate to make it accessible to students.
“They can’t ignore this huge audience,” said Hohmann, 22.
He said the idea of the building is what excited him the most about the new performing arts center.
“The nearest performing arts venues were either Downtown (Los Angeles), Culver City, or Thousand Oaks,” he said. “The (San Fernando) Valley had nothing. We were a cultural wasteland.”
Hohmann added that the opening of the VPAC will not only be a cultural asset to the community but also an addition to students’ extracurricular activities.
“When class sessions start, it can be difficult to schedule social activities even when they’re 20 to 30 minutes away,” he said. “ Now we will just have to drive 10 minutes to see a great show.”
CSUN’s theatre department was included in the lineup for the VPAC’s kickoff season, giving students an opportunity to perform in the state-of-the-art space.
Peter Grego, chair of the theatre department, said the VPAC will offer exciting new opportunities for the student body. These opportunities include learning as well as performing in the center.
He added that the new center will change the level of performance from the students and that the VPAC team was very student-minded in the thinking and programming of the upcoming season.
Grego said the department has a few performances set for next year’s opening season of the VPAC, including Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “Big Love.”
He said the department is currently reviewing three scripts to decide on another possible addition to the spring lineup.
“Not only will this be an incredible teaching facility, but the students will be in constant contact with people in all areas of the performing arts,” Grego said. “ This space will change the relationship between the actor and the audience.”
Although the theatre department has announced their lineup for the VPAC’ s new season, the VPAC team is remaining silent until Oct. 28.
Bucker said he can promise a wide range of outstanding performances for all types of audiences.
“We want every year to have as much variety as possible,” he said.
