Crimson and Gold Connection; Chris Kelly

Welcome to Crimson & Gold Connection, keeping you connected to the people and current events at Pittsburgh State University. This is Trent Johnson. Thanks for joining us for Crimson & Gold Connection here on KRPS. Our guest this week is Associate Vice President for Marketing and Communication at Pittsburgh State University, Chris Kelly, as he talks about the reasoning for the new Performing Arts Center going up at the campus of Pittsburgh State University. It's hard to believe now, Trent, but Pittsburgh State University has been without a true performing arts facility for well over 30 years. I think those who've been on campus much longer than I remember old Karnie Hall that used to be right here on campus, to add a 3000 seat performance hall and used to attract incredible performers to our area. People like Count Basie were coming in here and some of the top political names of the time were making Pittsburgh State a tour stop. When we lost Karnie Hall, we really lost that ability for not only a performance entertainment area like that, but also for our own students to be able to perform in a performance area that was really meant for them.

So after a lot of hard work and many, many decades actually to get to where we are now, it's amazing and it's exciting to look out there and look at this beautiful new $33 million performance hall, the Bicknell Center and know that, yeah, we're really going to do this and we're finally going to have a performance facility that matches the talent that we have on this campus. When was the need realized to build this new Performing Arts Center and kind of how did that become a reality once the groundwork was laid for it? When you talk to President Scott, he likes to bring up the fact that they were estimates for a new facility as far back. I think on his desk, he still has the original estimate from 1971. When they knew that Karnie was beginning to deteriorate and something had to be done, well, many years have passed since then and we've known that it's always needed and we've been working towards it, but it really wasn't until about five years ago that the momentum took off. We received our lead donors step forward and said, we want to help in this and then thanks to an incredible amount of support.

We have over 600 donors who've been helping us and supporting this project come forward. We're really being able to turn on December 7th this week actually. We'll have the official ribbon cutting and formally, you'll be able to be there and see that what was a dream in the 70s now is a reality. And for someone who has seen pretty much every step of the construction go up, can you kind of just explain what it's like to see it come along throughout the last about year and a half as it's been built? Trent, it's emotional. They had commissioning just a couple of weeks ago and that's where they actually bring in performers. We had choir and we had orchestra and we had symphony there and they tested the sound within the performance hall. And for me personally, to be in that performance hall and you look around and you say this is where it was bare dirt just a couple of years ago and now you're hearing this amazing classical music coming through and the performance hall, the lighting, I mean it's just it's an emotional experience. I found myself really kind of tearing up a little when it was going on and even going through there today, you look around and you go, wow, this is what's possible when everybody comes together on a single project works towards a single goal. And the results are just going to be amazing. I know that when people come in and tour the building, they're really going to feel that.

Talking about kind of just the inside of the building briefly, what are some of the entities on the inside that those people will see? You know, I think it begins the entire facility has been built with the performer and the audience in mind and that starts the moment you walk through the grand interns. Everybody from the outside has seen the wonderful windows that we have out there kind of the sloping curve. It really usheres you in the moment you step through those doors into a feeling of, okay, now we're ready to experience something we haven't done before. Much the same way that and it'll this will be a plug for you guys. I know it's shameless, but it's true when I listen to KRPS, I feel that as well. It's that when I walk through those doors. The performance hall itself is the Linda and Lee Scott performance hall 1100 seats. It really is an intimate, but beautiful performance hall. There is not a bad seat there. Every seat has been designed every curve when you walk in there and you see the walls and you see the curve. Everything has been designed and built with the performer and the audience in mind. It's wonderful.

The Miller theater just next door for our theater program and they're going to have there for first performance in late January our students are. It is just finally we have a smaller theater compared to the performance hall, but still it's 250 seats. It's been designed for that full theater experience. Even the balcony level are right on top of the stage. So as an audience member, you feel engaged and if you're a performer, the great thing is the seating in that room is flexible. So as a director, you can change the seating within to meet the needs of your performance. So it's just wonderful. Then you go backstage and you see the, as a former theater guy myself, you see the number of dressing rooms and the green room and the costume shop and the multi-use room that we have. And then you go into the art gallery, which is over 3,500 square feet, not completed yet, but you can really see what it's going to become. And you look around there and you get up on the second floor and it's just a feeling of I need to be a part of this. And it makes you want to go ahead and get those seats for the inaugural year performances.

And what advantages does the performing arts center give not just the campus, but the entire community and area as well? Pittsburgh State University win. Harding Hall was here. And as I mentioned, you used to have names such as Count Basie and major political figures of the day coming in for lectures. And this used to be the premier destination. Pittsburgh State was for artists, for performers, for everybody made Pittsburgh State a tourist stop. When we lost Harding Hall, we lost that ability. The Vicknell Center now coming back, the Vicknell Family Center for the Arts will once again allow Pittsburgh State to retain its role as a regional center for the final performing arts. And there is a ribbon cutting event this weekend. Just talk about that a little bit and what that will entail. Oh, we've been planning this ribbon cutting almost. It feels like I'm I'm chair of the committee. It feels like we've been planning the ribbon cutting almost as long as the building's been going up. And we're going to have a wonderful ribbon cutting. It's going to be very nice, but very brief. We'll have a performance by the university choir. Officially cut the ribbon. We're very excited to have the chair of the Kansas Board of Regions down.

We'll be joining us for that day. The great part about it is people will finally be able to come in, sit down, hear a performance, a brief performance within the hall, and then we're opening it up. Unlike any other time, you were going to have full run of the building and be able to see every nook and cranny of this building. This is the only time that will be allowed to happen. So you want to see the costume shop. You want to see the mechanical. You want to see where the laundry is done. It's going to be there. It really will be open. We'll have tour guides. It'll be a self-guided tour, but we'll also have people there able to answer questions. And you'll really get a sense and be able to see what has been going on over the past two years, the construction. You'll get a see it and feel it and touch it. It's just going to be great. Starts at one o'clock in the afternoon. We'll have doors opening at 12.30. Park right there at the Bicknell Center. Walk right into the Grand Lobby area and enjoy a day. And that is this Sunday, December 7th for anyone who may not know where exactly is the performing arts center located. Well, it is just to the south of the weed physical education building. Or if for all of those who've been traveling on campus, just go right to the corner of Ford and Joplin Street.

You can't miss it. We'll have signs everywhere. It's going to be just a wonderful day. We're really excited about it. Our guest this week has been Chris Kelly, Associate Vice President for Marketing and Communication at Pittsburgh State University. Join us for Crimson and Gold Connection Wednesdays at 8.50 and Fridays at 350.