Grand Opening of the World Class Center Theater and Newly Completed Center for the Arts in Jackson Hole

Grand Opening of the World Class Center Theater and Newly Completed Center for the Arts in Jackson Hole

Opening Performance Featuring Franc D'Ambrosio's 'Broadway'

JACKSON HOLE, Wyo., Feb. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- With the completion of the 525-seat Center Theater and the 33,000 square foot Performing Arts Pavilion, Jackson Hole's Center for the Arts is ready to take center stage as a new national-level home for the arts in the Rocky Mountain west. Following on the 2005 opening of the 41,000 square foot Arts and Education Pavilion, the Center now provides a permanent, secure and affordable home for seventeen nonprofit arts and higher education organizations in the heart of the Town of Jackson. The public will have its first chance to tour the new theater and music center during an open house on Saturday, March 3, from noon to 4:00 pm. All of the theater technical spaces and systems will be accessible to the public, allowing for a "peek behind the curtain" before the first public performance at 7:30 pm Saturday evening, Franc D'Ambrosio's "Broadway." Franc D'Ambrosio is best known for his role in Phantom of the Opera, in which he brought more than 5 million theater goers to their feet in over 2,600 performances, earning him the title of "World's Longest Running Phantom."

The Center Theater is the heart of the new pavilion, creating a world-class space for all of the performing arts. The new pavilion was designed by the Arts Design Collaborative, a partnership of local architects John Carney and Stephen Dynia, with technical design led by Robert Long and his team from Theatre Consultants Collaborative. The forty-four foot proscenium opening accommodates larger theatrical, dance and music events. The full fly system, robust sound and lighting packages and the resilient stage will meet the needs of the most discriminating users. With acoustics designed by Robert Mahoney of Boulder, Colorado, the full acoustic shell system and brand-new Steinway concert grand piano will make the hall wonderful for non-amplified musical presentations.

In 2007, Center for the Arts plans to present and co-present a variety of national acts, including the dance company Diavolo, the dynamic California dance troupe led by Jacques Heim. Heim choreographed the Cirque du Soleil production Ka, their newest show in Las Vegas that opened in February 2005. Other featured acts will include: John Prine; Elisa Monte Dance from New York; Preservation Hall Jazz Band; Asleep at the Wheel; Gilbert Gottfried; Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Hubbard Street 2 dance company from Chicago; and others still in development. The annual theater calendar is also dedicated to local and regional theater, dance and music companies, with the Center being the primary presenter of touring music, theater and humanities.

The Center for the Arts project started as an ad hoc collection of local arts organizations in 1991. Following several years of feasibility studies, the Center incorporated in 1995 and set off on the design and fundraising process. A dedicated board and staff were assembled and, through a dynamic public/private partnership, the Center was funded by a $35 million, seven-year private capital campaign. In total, the Center for the Arts encompasses fifteen studios, 21 administrative offices, three classrooms, three conference rooms, two galleries, five outdoor public spaces, two lobbies, six theater support rooms, one darkroom lab, and one theater.

The Center for the Arts is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit corporation creating space for creativity and collaboration in Jackson Hole. The Center for the Arts is located between Cache Street and Glenwood Street, two blocks south of Town Square in downtown Jackson, Wyoming. For further information, please visit the Center's website, www.jhcenterfrothearts.org.

Source: Center for the Arts

CONTACT: Claire Johnson, +1-307-733-8229, or cjohnson@cambinv.com, for
Center for the Arts

Web site: http://www.jhcenterforthearts.org/

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