Feature: The Wharton Center After Two Decades
MSU’s performing arts center has literally changed the cultural landscape of mid-Michigan, and indeed the Midwest, since opening in 1982.
Rome wasn’t built in a day. By the same token, never has a great theatre come into its own overnight. Wharton Center for Performing Arts has been 20 years in the making, and during that time it has endeared itself to the mid-Michigan community and beyond. Wharton Center jumped right into the deep end of the performing arts pool and has been working hard for its patrons ever since. Now the nation and world has its eyes on Wharton, watching its command of international shows and artists, its support of new prodigies and its influence in the arts.
Wharton Center has incorporated a saying . . . “Broadway in Your Backyard!” And it’s true. Where else can you see the best in Broadway, and the next night watch a spectacular dance or jazz show? What other performing arts center commissions four new pieces of work in one season? Wharton stands out among the rest; and it’s just the beginning.
The first big step in Wharton Center’s legacy was its construction – a process that lasted three years and cost nearly $25 million. The university and countless donors had the dream of a world-class performing arts center in mid-Michigan, and helped fund the project. The Harley Ellington Pierce Yee Associates of Southfield designed the Center with a unique architectural concept that creates the perfect atmosphere for performing arts.
The hallmark of Wharton Center is its two theatres—the magnificent 2,500-seat Catherine Herrick Cobb Great Hall, and the intimate 600-seat Pasant Theatre. The Great Hall’s sweeping proscenium stage can accommodate even the largest traveling productions. The Pasant Theatre, on the other hand, is a thrust configuration that brings the artists into the middle of the audience, never more than 60 feet from any seat. Together, they accommodate the entire spectrum of entertainment.
Once the expansive Center was built, the task came to decorate the rich brown brick walls with colorful splashes of art. This may not seem very important at first, but as the years have passed, each new piece in the Center’s growing art collection has added to the class and character of the building. Wharton is extremely grateful to the donors who have given such meaningful gifts.
As an inspiration for their fundraising, the Whartons commissioned MSU professor Mel Leiserowitz to create the six-ton, stainless steel sculpture entitled Orpheus placed in the entrance plaza.
Four enormous ceremonial banners hang in the Grand Foyer, representing the Four Muses of painting, poetry, dance and music. They were created by George Ortman of the Cranbrook Art Academy and commissioned by Catherine Herrick Cobb, the namesake of the Great Hall.
Three lithe female forms with mossy pastel shading – Mark Chatterley’s The Three Graces – crop up from the landscaping near the entrance. This is a gift from the “Friends of Wharton.”
The impassive butler and contented frog in Todd Warner’s whimsical sculpture, One Extra Dry, Hold the Olives, bring a smile to people’s faces as they enter Wharton’s front office. Mr. and Mrs. James D. Parish donated this unique piece of art.
There are dozens of other wonderful pieces of art in Wharton’s collection scattered inside and outside of the building. They make simply walking around the center an enriching experience.
The building was christened Wharton Center for Performing Arts in honor of Michigan State University’s fourteenth president, Dr. Clifton Wharton, and his wife Dolores. The Board of Trustees noted that the Whartons, “through their dedication to the arts, provided the impetus to press forward on a project that presented a major cultural contribution to the university and the state.”
In 1975, President Wharton had announced MSU’s first capital campaign, which included a majestic new performing arts center to succeed the 35-year-old auditorium as the university’s principal theater facility. Clifton and Dolores threw all their personal enthusiasm and effort into making the campaign a success. During the planning stages of the Center, Dolores was a member of a committee that visited performing arts centers around the country to help assure that MSU’s would be state-of-the-art.
The Whartons’ passion for the arts came from their belief that the arts provide a beautiful window through which to view humanity. They continue to live by that belief, remaining involved in Wharton Center and other community art endeavors.
After Wharton left to become Chancellor of State University of New York, former MSU president John A. Hannah, back in East Lansing after he finished his stint heading the United Nation’s World Food Conference in Rome, stepped forward to complete the fundraising. He enlisted the help of Jack Shingleton, then director of placement services, as well as Chuck Webb, now vice president of university development, and other development officers.
Ever since Wharton Center opened its doors to the public on September 25, 1982, it has done its best to follow the example of its namesakes and make the arts accessible to the community. Ken Beachler, Wharton’s executive director from 1982-1992, kicked off this tradition. He helped convince the community that there was no reason not to come to Wharton Center. He coined the phrase “Jeans to Jewels” and he made sure that tickets were affordable–20-30 percent below the national average–and that patrons were always treated like royalty. That same philosophy holds true today, 20 years later!
Since then, the community has embraced the Center. In addition to Wharton Center’s season, the MSU music and theatre departments, Greater Lansing Symphony Orchestra, Children’s Ballet Theatre and many other community and university organizations, also utilize the facility. Wharton is thrilled to be such an important part of the community network.
Wharton Center is situated at the heart of the Michigan State University Campus and is easy for students to stream by on their way to classes, which helps Wharton Center maintain a strong student audience base. Many people may also not realize that a large portion of the Wharton Center family is composed of students. While at the Center, patrons are greeted by students at the ticket office windows. It is also students who courteously guide theatergoers to their seats. There are even students working behind the scenes, assisting the various directors to keep the Center running smoothly.
BROADWAY IN YOUR BACKYARD
At the same time that Wharton is fostering its community ties, it is also stepping onto the “world stage.” From its very first season, the Center has presented such phenomenal Broadway hits as Evita, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Guys and Dolls, Cats, A Chorus Line, Les Miserables, Beauty and the Beast, Miss Saigon, The Phantom of the Opera, and Riverdance… The list goes on and on.
Executive Director Bill Wright loves Broadway and sees an average of 30 Broadway shows a year. He is also the only Tony voter in the Big 10 and is one of three in the state of Michigan; most of the voters reside in New York. Bill keeps his finger on the pulse of New York in order to bring the biggest and best shows to East Lansing.
Wharton Center is celebrating 20 years of outstanding performances by announcing a stellar season that offers audiences an A-list of performances they can’t see at any one theater anywhere else in the world. Wharton Center’s 20th Anniversary Encore Season is designed to inspire the theatre novice, and re-energize the performing arts veteran. Some of the best acts of the past 20 years will return along with a slew of spectacular “must see” shows.
Riverdance opens the season with an explosion of sight and sound that the Chicago Tribune says “takes your breath away.” This family show full of Irish dancing and culture will give audiences a taste of the high energy that will be found throughout the Encore Season. Where else but the Wharton stage can one see Broadway shows such as 42nd Street,Some Like It Hot starring Tony Curtis, and Bring In ‘Da Noise, Bring In ‘Da Funk starring Savion Gloveralong with four weeks of the most successful stage musical of all time - The Phantom of the Opera. That’s only the beginning…
Not every big name that graces Wharton’s stages comes from New York. President George H. W. Bush, Governor Bill Clinton of Arkansas, and Ross Perot met on the Great Hall stage for a Presidential debate on October 12, 1992. The moderator was Jim Lehrer of PBS TV. The other panelists were Susan Rook of CNN, Gene Gibbons of Reuters, and Helen Thomas of United Press International.
About 1,000 people viewed the debate in the Great Hall, including 219 students selected by lottery from more than 7,100 applicants. 1,464 more students viewed the debate via a large-screen television in Breslin Student Events Center. 150 miles of cabling, 1300 telephones and 60,000 watts of lighting equipment were utilized that day. Of course, it was all well worth the time, effort and resources; the debate brought a great American event to the community and brought national attention to the university and the Center.
CREATION OF NEW ART
Another way that Wharton Center is, as director Bill Wright would say, “stepping onto the world stage,” is by commissioning new works. He believes the process of creation is just as important as the process of presentation. The Center’s ambitious commission agenda is sending it to the national forefront of performing arts centers.
Jazz legend Billy Taylor created an expressive new jazz composition titled “Urban Griot” that was premiered at Wharton in the autumn of 2000. Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Aaron J. Kernis wrote the heady contemporary piece called “Trio in Red” for the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s performance this past November. Wharton’s first commissioned play, CTRL+ALT+DELETE by Anthony Clarvoe, received rave reviews in national publications such as Variety and the New York Times; once again placing Wharton Center in the national spotlight.
For Wharton’s 20th Encore Anniversary, there will be four very outstanding commissions – the most ever presented in one season and an unheard of feat for many performing arts centers. These premiers set Wharton apart from other performing arts centers around the country and place the Center at the national forefront. Renowned jazz pianist Kenny Barron will create a new jazz composition that will incorporate a string quartet with the traditional jazz trio. One of New York’s premier pianists, Werner “Vana” Gierig, will reveal a new composition with a percussion theme. The Hubbard Street Dance Company of Chicago will create a dance sure to, as the critics say of the company’s dances, “leave you breathless.” Finally, Jonathan Dawe, in residence at Juilliard, will compose a “Concerto” for Wharton Center’s 20th Anniversary Grand Finale. Robert Taub, who performed the Beethoven Sonata Cycle at Wharton in previous years, will perform the new “Concerto” with the MSU Symphony Orchestra.
All of this ambition and prestige adds up to some impressive facts and figures for Wharton Center. It has the second largest performing arts program among all Universities, second only to Arizona State. It is the largest presenter in the Big 10, selling more tickets, commanding the largest budget and boasting the largest education program. It is also the largest commissioner of new work among the Big 10. Last season, over 150,000 patrons attended Wharton Center presentations between September and June. Finally, Wharton ranks in the top ten of all non-profit Centers in the United States in fundraising, tickets sold, growth of audience and number of performances.
Wharton Center’s 20th Anniversary Encore Season is a way of saying thank you to everyone who has lent their support over the years. This season’s collection of performances can’t be seen at any one theatre anywhere else in the world, plus there are several world premieres that have never been seen anywhere before.
Keep an eye on Wharton Center this season, the next 20 years, and hopefully many more years to come. Remember, it’s only the beginning…
Author’s Bio: Bob Hoffman, formerly the morning anchor at WLNS Newscenter Six, is the Wharton Center’s manager of public relations.
