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James Madison University theatre students celebrated the opening of the Forbes Center for Performing Arts in fall 2010 with the challenging production of "Metamorphoses."The play, by American playwright Mary Zimmerman, is based on David R. Slavitt's translation of the Metamorphoses of Ovid, and is presented as a series of vignettes. Professors Richard Finkelstein and John Burgess oversaw set production and design, which included building a 4,000-gallon pool into the thrust stage. The production utilized nearly all the amenities of the new Mainstage Theatre, a proscenium, a daring feat. Why? Because they could. JMU had waited years for this opportunity - to do things never before possible on its stages.
Prior to 2010, JMUs academic program was severely handicapped by a theatre that was essentially a multipurpose auditorium ca. 1967, and an experimental black-box theatre, which was originally a chicken hatchery ca. 1920. Today, as the Forbes Center celebrates its fifthanniversary season, the facility is helping to redefine the university's image, igniting the arts on campus and throughout the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. "We went from obscurity to where we are now the central public face of JMUs academic community," says George Sparks, Dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts, himself a conductor and clarinet player. The college Sparks leads consists of the School of Art, Design and Art History; the School of Music; the School of Theatre and Dance; the Institute for Visual Studies; and the Madison Art Collection.
Measurable impacts of the Forbes Center on JMU's reputation are many.
* 175,000 patrons who have experienced shows since opening; 45,000 annual ticket buyers
* 1,000 subscribers who purchase four or more shows per season, up from 90 subscribers pre-opening
* A new doctor of music program, enabling fully staged operatic productions
* Invitations for ensembles to the Virginia Music Educators Association, an affiliate of the National Association for Music Education
* A wind ensemble invitation to the College Band Directors' National Association
* An undergraduate playwright's production accepted by the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Regional Festival
* Enhanced ability to attract faculty.
* Enhanced ability to attract higher-caliber students
* Ability to attract national performers who share talents and experiences with students through masterclasses or question/answer sessions; tecent guests include Tony...