Meet the Hinson

Amphitheater makes muchanticipated debut

By Cameron Carr

On Aug. 31, the Charleen & Charles Hinson Amphitheater made its long-awaited premiere with a dedication ceremony. That opening ceremony, and events soon after with performances by Leslie Odom Jr. and the New Albany Symphony Orchestra, gave a taste of what the $7 million outdoor performing arts space will offer the community.

Identical in size and located adjacent to the Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts, the Hinson Amphitheater will augment the potential for performing arts within New Albany and central Ohio as a whole. The dedication ceremony served to highlight the vast arts community that the space might play host to as 270 performers graced the stage throughout the night.

An estimated crowd of more than 1,000 people was treated to performances by the New Albany Ballet Company, Hi Fidelity, New Albany High School Theatre’s award-winning Smokey Joe’s Cafe performers and others.

Construction on the project began in 2020 after the Hinsons provided the leading donation of $600,000 to support the amphitheater. Additional private donations, as well as $1 million in support from the city, funded the project.

New Albany Marching Band performs at the Hinson Amphitheater.

New Albany Ballet Company dancers

CAPA will manage events at the open-air space. The theater is designed to host a wide array of events from film screenings and musical guests to community festivals.

On Sept. 10, the New Albany Symphony Orchestra connected some of those concepts with Night at the Movies. The performance saw the orchestra take on classic scores from films including Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Titanic and West Side Story.

A sold-out benefit concert for the amphitheater on Sept. 23 hosted Leslie Odom Jr. The Tony and Grammy award-winning actor is known for roles in productions and films such as Hamilton, A Night in Miami… and Murder on the Orient Express.

The Hinson Amphitheater expects to host a range of performers in the future including BalletMet, Columbus Jazz Orchestra and groups from New Albany-Plain Local Schools.

Cameron Carr is associate editor. Feedback welcome at ccarr@ cityscenemediagroup.com.

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