COMMUNITY AND WORKFORCE PARTNERSHIPS
CENTER STAGE Celebrating 25 Years of Performing Arts in Lake County
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ince its opening in February 1997, the James Lumber Center for the Performing Arts at College of Lake County has enriched the cultural life of local communities by offering an outstanding array of student productions, touring shows and educational events. What began as a project spearheaded by the CLC Foundation, this stellar venue and learning space known as the “JLC” has flourished while also providing accessible, affordable entertainment for Lake County communities and the region. “When CLC opened the performing arts center 25 years ago, there was no Genesee or Three Brothers Theatre,” remembers JLC Executive Director Gwethalyn Bronner. “There was very little performing arts activity in the Lake County area, which made our mission so much more important. It helped CLC ‘show’ not just say: the performing arts is something important in our lives.”
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CLC CONNECTS
The performing arts and academic building, envisioned as an artistic center for all styles and types of live performances, has three stages — the Mainstage Theatre, a 600-seat proscenium; the Studio Theatre, a 250-seat thrust stage; and the 125-flexible seat, black box Harnish Experimental Theatre. Throughout its existence, the JLC has been committed to accessibility, inclusion, diversity and equity through partnerships, staffing, facility scheduling, artistic programming and presentational use. “Its creation brought a professional performance venue within a short distance of where people lived,” said Bronner. “We used the tag line: A downtown experience close to home.” In 2003, the building received its current name, the James Lumber Center, when it was dedicated in honor of F. James Lumber, a founding trustee and CLC’s first board chair. Lumber served on the Board of
