September begins the 2011/2012 season for the Valley Performing Arts Center (VPAC), where in its January premiere, the venue attracted a host of celebrity performers such as Joan Rivers and Shirley MacLaine, and an opening gala that was studded with some of Hollywood’s finest. For its sophomore season, VPAC managing associate for new media and web David Mascarina predicts this season will be bigger and better.
“We have doubled the amount of shows — a great amount of interest in all the shows, and we have a great variety that we can segment into a series,” Mascarina said.
“The gala was a phenomenal start,” said Pamela Bock, the VPAC director of marketing and strategic communications. “It created a lot of buzz.”
Having much more time to promote the second season’s new lineup, both Mascarina and Bock are excited about some of the upcoming performances, which have been categorized into subscription series such as classical, dance, jazz/world music, premier, and spoken word.
“The National Acrobats of the People’s Republic of China is going to be great,” Bock said. “It’s the first time they’re touring in America.”
Bock is also looking forward to comedy writer David Sedaris who will be performing November 20. “He lectures at UCLA every year and is always sold out,” she said.
March 3, 2012, the international musical group Los Tigres Del Norte will take the stage, bringing diversity and reaching out to the Latin community, Mascarina said.
Other notable performances include Jamie Lee Curtis, the New York City Ballet MOVES, Wynonna Judd, the Russian Ballet, Bernadette Peters, Geena Davis, and the Acting Company, who is scheduled to perform both “Julius Caesar” and “Comedy of Errors.”
“We bring in world-class performers to Cal State Northridge,” said Mascarina, of the impressive lineup.
Bock said performers from the first season spoke highly of VPAC to their agents, increasing the number of phone calls and requests coming into the VPAC.
“The community has really embraced us,” she added. “It all builds on itself.”
The VPAC ticket office opened on Monday, Aug. 29. Depending on the performance and seating, single tickets start at $25 and go up to $85.
CSUN students are offered a 40 percent discount off single tickets, while CSUN faculty and staff are offered 20 percent.
“We want to make it approachable and affordable to students,” Bock said. “For the entire campus it’s an opportunity to experience the arts in a unique and approachable way. It complements many areas of study.”
