Bartlett Performing Arts and Conference Center Hosts Variety of Performances
A few years back‚ Bartlett’s residents had to travel to Memphis or elsewhere to see a play or concert. Oh‚ how times have changed.
With the curtain down on its seventh successful season‚ the Bartlett Performing Arts and Conference Center has given the city a home for plays‚ concerts and other activities. And with an ever-expanding slate of children’s events and other attractions‚ the future looks increasingly bright.
“Our mission statement says that our objective is to provide a first-class facility not only to present professional touring attractions on a season basis‚ but also to be available to local nonprofessional‚ amateur organizations‚” says Ron Jewell‚ director of the BPACC. “That really pretty much sums us up.”
From the outset‚ the center’s staff and board have encouraged cultural activities of all types‚ not only on its stage but also through use of its conference center. Civil‚ social and business groups have found the center to be a perfect fit for their programs‚ which has further enhanced its status in the community.
But the shows have put the center on the map. From August through May the center’s Showcase Series provides 13 performance events‚ usually selling out the 350-seat hall. Luminaries who’ve graced the stage include Lily Tomlin‚ Art Garfunkel‚ Wynton Marsalis‚ Kathy Mattea and Randy Newman. A similar slate of celebrities is scheduled for the 2007 season‚ Jewell says.
“We’re able to work with other theaters to book acts for a large block of time‚ so we’re able to get very high-quality touring performers‚” he says.
There’s also the Dinner Stage Series‚ where tables for 120 are set up on the stage itself‚ a catered dinner is brought in and a show is presented in a “supper club” format.
The third series is aimed at young people and presents live performances ranging from plays to the community band and local symphony. The goal with this series is to introduce youth to the theatre‚ hopefully sparking a lifelong interest‚ Jewell says.
“Three times a year we offer the opportunity to put local kids in an actual performance‚ and that’s been very popular. We see that program growing more during the school year‚ and that’s when we’ll be trying to do more to feature a family series and get more families interested in live performance.”
The center operates a five-week summer drama camp for kids‚ with around 100 participants. Expanding that offering is high on the center’s list of goals in the coming years‚ as is boosting the use of its conference facilities.
“Beyond that‚ we don’t want to push beyond what our capabilities are‚” Jewell says. “We want to make sure we don’t take on more than we can handle.”
That said‚ the near-constant roster of in-house shows and productions from local organizations‚ churches and others would indicate that the center is on the right path.
“We’re certainly filling a need‚” Jewell says. “We’re about as aggressive as we can get with a small staff. The city is truly getting a strong return on its investment in the facility – we definitely feel like we’ve been embraced.”
