After 35 performances and ongoing exhibits over six days, the curtain came down on the inaugural ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ Celebrates the Arts 2015 with high hopes for next year.
βThe celebration was designed to showcase the work of the ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ and its partners β and, boy, did it,β Orlando Sentinel arts writer Matt Palm saidΒ in his review of the April 9-15 event. βCan’t wait for next year’s celebration.β
More than 13,600 free, advance-ticket reservations were made to see the various performances, said Jeff Moore, director of the ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ School of Performing Arts and artistic director of the festival, adding that the event exceeded his expectations. Ten of the events were βsold out.β
The festival featured more than 1,000 ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ students and faculty members showcasing studio art, music, theatre, dance, gaming, animation, photography and film at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. All the presentations were put on byΒ the School of Performing Arts and the School of Visual Arts & Design, both in the College of Arts & Humanities. Some of the events included community arts partners and K-12 students.
βWhen you do something the first time, it feels like you need time to ramp up. But this seemed to hit right out of the box,β Moore said.
This was the first time all the universityβs artistic presentations could be experienced in one place.
Β βThere was so much vibrancy,β said Heather Gibson, marketing director for the ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ Theatre Department. βWe in the arts have never felt this much hum going on.β
She said the biggest audiences of the festival attended Icarus at the Edge of Time and Shakespeare Swings!, both of which had people waiting in line to grab any of the seats left open by no-shows in the 2,500-capacity theatre.
Icarus was a multimedia performance by the ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ Symphony Orchestra based on a childrenβs book by Columbia University physicist Brian Greene and narrated by actress Kate Mulgrew from the Star Trek: Voyager TV series. Shakespeare Swings! featured ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs Flying Horse Big Band and the Orlando Shakespeare Theater Cabaret Singers.
Moore said he attended every event at the festival and noticed that instead of seeing the same people at each performance, there were different audiences.
βIt was meeting everybody on their own turf,β he said. βThis was a celebration of the arts, but the arts reach into so many other disciplines. When you walked into the center lobby you were immediately immersed in the arts β and science, mathematics, literature and computers coming together with art.β
Moore advised marking calendars now for next yearβs festival when ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ has the arts center reserved April 4-17, 2016. Next yearβs festival will run during two weekends and the days between, he said.
He hopes to involve more K-12 students through workshops and performance showcases next year, and create more collaborative partnerships with community arts groups.
βThose were so enjoyable for students and everyone who came,β Moore said.