Students to get cheap arts tickets

You might have seen the ads and fliers around campus this week that left students wondering what they could get for only $10.

As it turns out, that’s going to be the price for a student ticket to any of the 43 shows lined up for the Performing Arts Series next year in the revamped Memorial Hall.

In the 2004-05 year, there were eight shows that were featured in the series.

Emil Kang, executive director for the arts, who organized the series, said it’s important for students to be able to afford the shows. “What’s the point of having this huge series if students can’t access the performances?”

At noon today in the Pit, there will be an official announcement about the $10 deal for student tickets, as well as free pizza and ice cream. The full schedule for the Performing Arts Series will be released Monday.

Kang said the performances will range from jazz and world music to classical and ballet, with many different genres in between. The information was revealed Thursday night at the second student art forum, a meeting that campus arts groups are hoping to make a regular event. Members from more than 10 student groups, including Lab! Theatre and Sangam, convened to learn about the reservation policies for Memorial Hall, which is scheduled to reopen in September.

Mike Johnson, assistant director of the Student Union, explained the policy that was sent out in a mass informational e-mail to students Wednesday. He described the scheduling in terms of a hierarchy, with University Day and Commencement events getting guaranteed space.

The dates for the Performing Arts Series fill out the second tier, followed by campus arts and cultural groups, and then all other campus groups wishing to use the space. Community and non-University requests are considered the fifth and last tier.

Campus arts groups will be able to request the venue for one weekend date per semester, and applications will be considered by the order in which they are received.

Johnson said there will be a $100 use fee for each group, but the costs will vary from group to group, depending on the size, scope and needs of each different production.

Paul Kapp, campus historic preservation manager, also gave a presentation on renovation plans for Playmakers Theatre and Gerrard Hall. “They are very much a part of the historic core of the campus,” Kapp said.

Playmakers Theatre will see the addition of handicap access, as well as reworking of the slope on which the seats now rest. The orchestra pit also will be expanded to seat 19 members, Kapp said.

Gerrard Hall also will see the addition of handicap access, as well as an exterior portico modeled after an Athenian temple.

Renovations for the two campus staples are a part of the plans for the Arts Common, an estimated $177 million, 50-year project that will provide an arena for all areas of the arts. Both buildings are expected to go offline during the next year.

Contact the A&E Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.