CFA 21-22 Annual Report

ANNUAL REPORT

A NOTE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

If we’re looking for a phrase to capture the spirit of the 2021/2022 season at the Center for the Arts, it might be “Playing Catch-Up and Moving Forward.” I know that sounds like a bit of a zigzag but that’s the way our return from the pandemic shutdown often felt. And I think you’ll agree, there was a lot of energy and joy in those zigs and zags.

We played catch-up by bringing artists to our stage that had been postponed during the height (or depth) of the pandemic. And speaking of energy and joy, a particular highlight was SW!NG OUT, the big band and swing dance program that had us all dancing in the aisles—actually on the stage and in the orchestra pit—under the watchful eye of some of the world’s best swing dancers. Another brilliant “recovered” booking was the appearance of NEA Jazz Master Maria Schneider, conducting some of her amazing charts with our own Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra, including a special appearance by our students in the Mason Jazz Ensemble. Both of these Great Performances at Mason concerts also featured artist residencies of several days duration, bringing these stellar artists into our community in various kinds of meaningful engagement. That’s the Center for the Arts at its best, and those “catchups” were definitely worth waiting for.

We also moved forward with concerts that actually were not rescheduled, and again our Mason Artist-in-Residence program proved to be very rich for students at Mason and in some of our area schools as well. The outstanding Sphinx Virtuosi gave masterclasses, workshops, and led rehearsals in the fall in conjunction with their beautiful concert, and Camille A. Brown & Dancers did its version of that in the spring. When the work on stage is fantastic and the community engagement is equally strong, we know we are fulfilling our mission at the highest possible level.

Mason's students in the arts really moved forward too (almost like they never stopped learning and rehearsing, which I guess they really didn’t!) with high-energy, artistically satisfying, well-attended mainstage performances such as the Music and , School of Dance Gala Concert, Dewberry School of Music’s Holiday Concert, and GAMEmason computer game expo, among many

I want to thank our patrons, supporters, volunteers, staff, and all the artists who call us home, whether for one weekend or on a regular basis, for helping us catch up and, most importantly, for keeping us moving forward. Our dean always says the arts create community and I think this past year proved that more than any in my memory.

CENTER FOR THE ARTS CO-COMMISSIONS SW!NG OUT AND HOSTS WEEKLONG RESIDENCY

Still tapping our toes, the Center for the Arts was proud to cocommission the work of SW!NG OUT as part of the 2021/2022 season and the Mason Artist-in-Residence program. A full-length multidisciplinary work showcasing the Lindy Hop, a swing dance style born in 1930s Harlem that has since exploded into a vibrant, international community, SW!NG OUT featured an extensive residency at Mason and out in the community in March 2021.

Created and directed by critically acclaimed dancer/ choreographer/director Caleb Teicher, SW!NG OUT included live music by the Eyal Vilner Big Band, and featured an ensemble of spectacular Lindy Hop champions, including LaTasha Barnes, a native of Richmond, Virginia, who participated in many of the residency events. Named a 2021 “Break Out Star” by The New York Times, Barnes also received a 2021 Bessie Award for “Outstanding Performer: Sustained Achievement,” was featured on NPR’s Rough Translation and the TODAY Show.

As a Mason Artist-in-Residence, SW!NG OUT company members engaged extensively across the community. On March 15, members of the company joined New Columbia Swing at the Josephine Butler Parks Center in Washington, D.C. for an evening of live music and energetic dance. During the day on March 16, 2022, they

AJ Howard and LaTasha Barnes, company members of SW!NG OUT

led an in-person dance lesson with students at Hunters Woods Elementary School. That evening Teicher participated in an Artistsin-Conversation event for the Friends of the Center for the Arts, diving into discussion surrounding the making of SW!NG OUT and Mason’s Artist-in-Residence program. The following evening, SW!NG OUT and the Hylton Performing Arts Center’s Veterans and the Arts Initiative teamed up for a digital experience with local Veterans interested in learning about swing.

After the wonderful series of community activities, SW!NG OUT concluded its time at George Mason University with its highly anticipated performance of the co-commission at the Center for the Arts. A highlight of the evening was the program's jubilant conclusion that invited audience members to get up and join in the fun! Many attendees joined onstage and others in the aisles, dancing alongside the company with friends and family, creating one spectacular jam session. SW!NG OUT will be remembered for years to come for its deep community engagement and exuberant development of new work.

Audience members were invited to join the SW!NG OUT dancers and musicians onstage and throughout the Concert Hall for a dance jam

SW!NG OUT was supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts and made possible by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; and was commissioned and created, in part, with the support of The Joyce Theater’s Artist Residency Center, made possible by lead funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation, LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust, and Doris Duke Charitable Foundation; Works & Process at the Guggenheim; the Center for the Arts at George Mason University, Northrop at The University of Minnesota; and additional commissioning funds provided by The O’Donnell-Green Music and Dance Foundation.

CARTOGRAPHY CONNECTS AUDIENCES TO REFUGEE STORIES THROUGH INTERACTIVE TECHNOLOGY AND STORYTELLING

CARTOGRAPHY, a “stunning” (The New York Times) and timely theatrical work that follows five young refugees searching for a new place to call home, was created in collaboration with Mason Artist-inResidence Kaneza Schaal and writer/illustrator Christopher Myers, drawing on their work with refugee youth from around the world. The interactive performance on October 2, 2021, at the Center for the Arts combined visual arts, storytelling, filmmaking, sound sensor technology, and even audience members' cell phones.

Embedded at Mason for the week before the performance to engage with Mason students and the greater community as part of her residency, Kaneza Schall explained, “CARTOGRAPHY grew out of our work in Munich 2016 with young people who came to the city on their own from around the world. Earlier that year, The New York Times had reported 30,000 people were arriving in Munich each day. We asked ourselves what we had to offer, as artists, to this moment. We worked with kids from Mali, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Eretria, Nigeria, and Syria. They had crossed oceans on inflatable rafts, walked through forests, hidden themselves in the holds of cargo trucks.”

Schall said at the end of their work with those students, “We asked the group what should we do next, what do they want from us? They said, 'We want a place to be seen.' After spending so long having to hide, where invisibility was part of survival, they said we should create places for kids like them to be seen.”

Of CARTOGRAPHY’s combination of conventional storytelling with interactive video and sound technology, Schall explains,

The company of CARTOGRAPHY (L-R) includes Janice Amaya, Noor Hamdi, Malaika Uwamahoro, Vuyo Sotashe, and Victoria Nassif.

“For the children and families who have migrated, especially those criss-crossing the Mediterranean, the sea itself functions as a mystical, untethered character like the unpredictable gods of Greek tragedy. We understand the ocean itself as a character and embody it onstage, having actors control the intensity of the waves and wind with the timbre of their voices and movements, thus inverting the experience of most migrants who find themselves tossed about by the sea.”

And whereas many performances request for cell phones to be shut off for the duration, Schall notes the importance of the technology’s specific integration into their storytelling. "Cell phones have become increasingly integrated with the fabric of everyday life, from mapping to financial institutions, from being in constant contact with loved ones to finding resources in resourcepoor environments. Nowhere is this more evident than in the lives of contemporary migrants who may do without food or water but need their cell phones as a resource before all others.”

“With the Interactive Media Laboratory at the AbuDhabi Arts Center, we built an interactive mapping platform that allows the live audience to map their own personal histories of movement onto our stage through a closed network server. Thus, every member in the audience is invited to consider their own family’s history of movement, whether recent or generations removed, in the ongoing continuum of migration.”

During her time in residency, Schall also worked with Mason’s Game Design Program and Virginia Serious Game Institute (VSGI) to develop technology for a new performance piece, which premiered at the Walker Arts Center in January.

Through CARTOGRAPHY, Schall powerfully reminded audience members: “Whether recent or many generations past, we are all part of the history of human migration which has brought us to this historical moment.”

Co-creator of CARTOGRAPHY and Mason Artist-in-Residence Kaneza Schaal

COMPOSER/ACTIVIST MARIA SCHNEIDER LEADS RESIDENCY ACROSS MASON CAMPUSES

Known for fearless musical exploration and beautifully blurring lines between genres, composer Maria Schneider has earned seven GRAMMY Awards across the realms of jazz, classical, and even her work with David Bowie. As a Mason Artist-in-Residence in April 2022—delayed by the pandemic from the originally scheduled spring 2020 residency—she led a powerful series of events across Fairfax and Arlington campuses with students, faculty, staff, and community members.

Through discussions, as well as open rehearsals and a culminating shared concert on April 16, 2022, in which Schneider conducted her own works with the Mason Jazz Ensemble students and professional Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra, the residency helped reinforce how Schneider became a groundbreaking visionary in the field. Events began with Beyond the Notes with Maria Schneider: A Conversation about Respecting Artist Rights, in Van Metre Hall on Mason’s Arlington Campus, and co-hosted by Mason’s Center for Intellectual Property x Innovation Policy and Arts Management Program.

George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School Professor and Arts & Entertainment Advocacy Clinic Director Sandra Aistars moderated the conversation with Schneider, which was also streamed live to an audience including individuals joining in from

Maria Schneider (left) speaks with moderator Sandra Aistars (right)

Ghana, Nigeria, the United Kingdom, and India. Attendee and second-year law student Brianna Marie Christenson, a member of Professor Aistars’ Arts and Entertainment clinic who has worked as a business manager and plans to go into copyright law, said, "Maria Schneider shows creatives how to use a technology built to serve the audience and not the artist, like music streaming platforms, work for both artist and fan. Her use of online platforms to find new fans, and bring them to her own site for sale of her repertoire, is a brilliant way to handle having a niche audience while trying to recoup on albums. . . .Her leadership in use of crowdfunding is something artists replicate en masse now."

Schneider helped blaze a trail for the trend of crowdfunding as one of the first artists to sign with ArtistShare, today widely recognized as an early precursor to websites like KickStarter, IndieGoGo, and PledgeMusic. She notes that she documents her process on the platform through internet-exclusive streaming videos, sketches of her scores, and photos from rehearsals and concerts. "You can announce you’re doing a project, feature interviews with players, allow fans to become closer to the music. . . .I like that I don’t have any anonymous sales." Releasing her “Concert in the Garden” album on ArtistShare in 2004, she became the first artist to win a GRAMMY Award for an album not available in retail stores.

Schneider has also testified about digital rights before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, participated in round-tables for the United States Copyright Office, and given commentary on CNN.

While embracing technology to allow artists to be more independent, Schneider also emphasized the need to unplug, telling Mason Jazz Ensemble students in her open rehearsal/ discussion: “I don’t believe you can be a great artist unless you give yourself space. Leave your phone at home. Allow yourself to get bored. That’s when you start to imagine things. Dream it up. Make something. You will come through your music.”

SPHINX VIRTUOSI HIGHLIGHTS CLASSICAL COMPOSERS OF COLOR

The Center for the Arts' second Mason Artist-in-Residence of the 2021/2022 season, Sphinx Virtuosi, is one of the nation's most innovative and pioneering chamber music ensembles. Consisting of 18 classically trained Black and Latinx soloists, the self-conducting ensemble works to expand the classical canon, amplifying contemporary composers through annual commissioning projects, while uncovering and programming works by composers of color from the past.

The group performed a dynamic program, Tracing Visions, on October 17, 2021, at the Center for the Arts and led a week of residency activities, including campus lectures, Mason classroom visits, and masterclasses in Strings and Symphony Orchestra. In addition, Sphinx Virtuosi visited several community schools, including Halley Elementary, Garfield High School, Osborne High School, and Unity Reed High School. The residency concluded with a Center for the Arts donor event reflecting on the residency and community impact.

A member of Sphinx Virtuosi works with Dewberry School of Music students in the Mason Symphony Orchestra

CAMILLE A. BROWN & DANCERS EMPHASIZE STORY OVER STEPS

Company members from Mason Artist-in-Residence Camille A. Brown & Dancers, Timothy Edwards, and Dorsey Brown led a workshop with School of Dance students on April 1, 2022, in the deLaski Performing Arts Building. The class was offered in conjunction with the acclaimed company’s Center for the Arts performance on April 2, 2022. In class, Edwards emphasized the importance of “story vs. steps,” and putting a character into choreography. “We’re humans, not robots. Put yourself into it. Put your own personality into it. . . .Give it to me and put some seasoning on it.” Edwards noted the importance of teachers striving to “push dancers out of their heads and into their bodies. . . .See where your body can take you. Trust the impulses inside of you.”

Mason Artist-in-Residence Camille A. Brown & Dancers teaches body-focused storytelling

Camille A. Brown & Dancers company members Timothy Edwards and Dorsey Brown lead a talkback with Mason School of Dance students as part of their residency workshop

Performance Attendance

Presenter

Great Performances at Mason 46,084 44,444 38,353 40,376 28,493 14,191

College of Visual and Performing Arts 45,178 46,578 53,486 61,264 27,793 26,574

George Mason University 37,872 43,627 44,359 42,468 28,059 8,761

Rentals 79,258 83,328 81,886 81,706 42,786 6,621

“The 2021/2022 Season was designed to be a gradual, yet joyous return to the Concert Hall. With the uncertainties of COVID-19 affecting our artists and audiences alike, our programming started off on a smaller scope, but by the spring our calendars were full of events, and we were regularly welcoming audiences back to the Center for the Arts.

ADRIENNE BRYANT GODWIN, DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMMING

DONORS

The Center for the Arts expresses its sincerest gratitude to the following donors who made generous gifts from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022.

$25,000+ Evelyn M. Kiley National Endowment for the Arts

The Seeley Foundation

$10,000 - $24,999

George Mason University Office of Research, Innovation and Economic Impact

Inge Wekerle Steiner Living Trust ManTech International Corporation

Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation

The Mather

$2,500 - $4-999 Blankingship & Keith, PC Mr. William E. Clayton Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metro Area and Andrew and Jennifer Flagel Susan and Michael Murphy New England Foundation for the Arts Diane and Gary Schnurrpusch

$1,000-$2,499 Helen and Bill Ackerman Dianne and Gerard Blais

Bert S. Boyd Pat and Pat Carroll Cultured Innovations Sandra Cummins-Haid and Allen Haid

Jane Daly Gabbay Louis Delair, Jr. AJ and Joan Driscoll Kay and John Gilbert Joyce Goche-Grimes Kathleen and Michael Havey Shirley Joyce Komara Financial Concepts Sandra and John Long Mack and Paulette Miller Vince and Carolyn Modugno Douglas and Laura Newton Christine M. O'Hare

Don and Sonja Palomaki Mark and Dawn Roddy Mark and Merrill Shugoll Walter and Janice Smith Dr. Peter N. Stearns and Ms. Donna L. Kidd Eloise C. Stinger Frank and Pat Sturgeon Roy and Margaret Wagner Ernie and Diane Wakeham Bob and Pat Warakomsky Joan R. White

$500-$999 John and Toni Acton Anonymous Bob and Terry Barnes Jean E. Callahan Charles and Annetta Cheek Louis and Gail Chmura Louis and Patricia D'Alessandro Donna and Jeffrey Davis David and Karen Duncan Ronald and Shirley Edwards Alan J. Friedman Brian Gilligan and Emily Marciniak George and K. Lenore Hart Mel and Carla Jaranson Ms. Joan Kasprowicz Robert Kelberg and Gertrude Sherman

Mrs. Phyllis Krochmal Jim Perry and Ann Mason Erin Mclaughlin and Stuart Rosenberg Cass and Lisa Panciocco Robert and Ida Portland Kathleen and George Shultz Charles and Moo-Lan Silver Sylvia Spengler John Theon Ednamae and John Trevey Verizon Foundation

$250-$499

Jack and Josephine Abbott

Susan J. Aitel and Jonathan Goldman

Anonymous

Gay Baker

William Bardwell

P.W. and Lyda Barnhart Susan Bell

Mr. and Mrs. James A. Bland

City of Fairfax Foundation for the Arts David and Sheree Cole Mr. Robert Corsi Kathleen Crockett Paul and Lynne Denig Ken and Evy Duff Charles and Eileen Duggan

Fleur Duggan and Bill Brown

Mr. and Mrs. Grover Dunn

Mr. and Mrs. Charles L. Gholz Susan and Robert Green

Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Hamerschlag Tim and Ruth Hassell Roxane H. Hughes Sara and Gerry Koster Peter and Patricia Kuch

Patricia Mertens and Brien Benson Mr. Michael A. Mescher Sean and Amy Myers-Payne Robert and Sheila Nakles

Bernard Oppel and Marilyn Wippl Ms. Shelby E. Pearl and Mr. Charles M. Murphy Laura Peebles and Ellen Fingerman Elizabeth Portland and Thomas Toce Mike and Laurie Robey Dr. and Mrs. Barry Saffran Denice A. Salter William and Dale Seward Bob and Suzy Shue Jeff and Lori Stillman Brad and Gayle Thayer

The Prette Family Armstrong and Krista Tran Linda Travis Plato Olmedo and Elsa Villavicencio Dave and Vivian Watts Michael and Diane Wiedholz

$249-$100

Carol Alim

Gisela and Charles Allen Elisabeth Allen

Ibrahim Anli Anonymous (7) Donovan Arizmendi and Anthony Nassar Jonathan and Anne Barber Arvydas and Daiva Barzdukas Michaele Battles Charles and Nora Bauland Don Beatty Jim and Sally Bennett Fred and Sylvia Bergert Dr. and Mrs. Barry Berkey Steve Bershader and Maggie Godbold Doris Bloch and Bill Hunt Susan Bonney Terry and Beverly Boschert Ellen and Sanford Brotman Howe and Margaret Brown Judith A. Buchino, Ph.D. Daniel and Judith Burkitt Nelson Burton

Mrs. Patricia A. Butler Harry Campbell Deb Carroll Dan and Lisa Carroll Bill and Carolyn Carter Hans and Carol Chang Paul and Marie Charles James and Sue Christensen Robert and Lisa Clark Sandra Clark and David Bausman Steven Clark Margaret Clarke Leona and Edward Conley, Jr. Jared Cornfield and Laura Phillips Michelle and Clayton Cowart Meghan Crowley Donald Cruikshank Dr. Paula M. Davidson Modesto DeLaCruz-Catala Angela and Marc Dluger Megan DuBois and Ryan Kasprowicz Mary Ann Dzama

Alice Eelman

Eddie and Rachel Eitches

Sarah Elpern and Bruce Waxman

ExxonMobil Foundation

Julia Falk

Dr. Russell Farris

Dan and Jean Feighery Barry and Peggy Fink

Pamela Fisher and Michael Lasky

Craig and Kathy Franklin Neil and Eileen Gallagher

Dianne W. Geiger Harry and Barbara Gerber Linda and Shelly Gersten

Gerald Giaccai

Mark and Sara Gibson Christian and Stella Gieseler Julie and William Gladbach Ken and Helen Goodrum

Andrew Goodwin Lynn S. Gramzow

Betty Graves

Ken and Fay Gubin

Beverly Gurner

Samuel Hack and Anita Solomon

Annette Hales

Wilma Jane Hallock

Michelle Hankins

Linda and Harlan Harber

John Harrington

Mark and Stephanie Harrison

Anna Hartmayer

David Harvan Abigail and Sidney Harvey

Leslie Harvey

Carol and Roger Haverfield

Charles and Kathryn Heberle John and Kris Hetrick Bob and Sally Heyer

Calvin Hickey

Robert and Michelle Higgins Susanne and Craig Hoepfl

Ms. Deborah C. Hofheimer

Ms. Susan Howard Pierre Huggins and Lois Ireland

Ivan Ives Craig and Joyce Johnston

Debbie L. Jones

Marilyn Jones

James and Dorothy Joslin Nelson and Susanne Joyner Joseph and Virginia Kanyan Harriet Kaplan

Mrs. Lucina Kaufmann

Ashlyn Lambert & Ian Keith Christopher and Kimberly Kendziora Pam and Kevin Kennedy Herb and Barbara Kiker Janice King Crawford Dr. and Mrs. Ronald Klayton Melanie Knitzer Marius and Hilda Koen Deborah L. Koenig Thomas and Wendy Krones Kristin and Yasar Kuyuk James and Traute Langmesser Sheila and Robert Lanoue Patrick and Elaine LaPella Gianni Larosa Dr. Kathryn Laskey and Mr. Kenneth Laskey Jeanette and Tom Leshko Stephen and Olga Levin Pamela and Ronald Levy Morton and Barbara Libarkin Phyllis Liner

Long & Associates Lela Long

Mary F. Lowe

Vyacheslav and Valentina Lukin Kathleen M. Lyman Karen and Philip Magley Kathryn Makos Donna and Marty Malarkey Louis Mandelberg Kolleen Martin

John and Jeanette Mason Judy T. Massabny Greg and Cyndi Matthes James McAtamney and Ellen Pirog

Allan Mears

Dr. Robert R. Meier Dr. and Mrs. Albert R. Miller Jack and Barbara Miller

Dr. Stanley R. Milstein

John Mittleman and Nancy Parsons

Kathy and Dave Moore

Debra and Tom Mossburg

Elizabeth Moye and Steven Carlile Thomas and Edith Nardone

Ms. Karen F. Nelson

Warne Nelson Jim and Alice Noone Helen Noyes

Lisa O'Hara and Wayne Burstein Richard Ordeman Aris and Eva Pappas Joan and Steve Parsons Dennis and Kathleen Patton Col. and Mrs. E.D. Post Mary Ballard Postma Marilyn Rahilly

Judy Ratliff

John and Mary Rephlo Rosana Resende

Marise Reynolds

John Phillip Rivers

James and Martha Robertson Edward H. Robichaud

Judith and Richard Robison Kenneth W. Rose

May E. Roy

Julie R. Ruby Valerie San Juan Wayne and Kathy Schneider Randall Senn Paul H. Silverman Michael Sinwell

Robert Smith and Alison Dyer

Elizabeth Snead

Vadim Sokolov Timothy and Molly Sproles

Joseph Spytek and Linda Kozma-Spytek Sonna and Anthony Stampone Mary and Donald Street

Janice Sutera Wolfe and James Wolfe

Lisa Svendsen Susan Swett and John Bradford Hunter Deborah Tannen

Jean and Donald Tapscott

Thomas and Constance Thompson Soumaya and Gerald Thompson Barbara Tobias

Karen Tokarsky Kathleen Trainor Melvin Trimble

R. Evan True

Brian P. Tunstall Trust Steven and Louise Turner Rebecca and Patrick Turner Charles Unruh and Debra Colpitt

Sally Wallace Ambassador and Mrs. George F. Ward Sharon Weathers

Lynn and Laurel Wessman Mrs. Ann West John and Margaret Wetzel Sheryl Williams

Diane Wilshere Maiju and Dick Wilson Edwyna M. Wingo John and Catherine Wright Tom Wright Patricia Young Frederick Zamon Judy Zeiler

Arts at Mason Board

Victoria Salmon, Chair

Steven Golsch, Vice Chair

Anne Caputo, Treasurer

Joe Catalano, Immediate Past Chair

Annie Bolger

J. Michael Brown

Paul Burke

Lavern Chatman

Ex Officio Members

Jenna Day, Mason Community Arts Advisory Board

Jennifer Disano, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

Gardner Gillespie

Sharon Gottlieb

Ronald J. Hubbard

Jolanda N. Janszewski

So Lim

John Mason

Tim McEvoy

Val McWhorter

Paulette Miller

Ida Portland

Robert K. Purks

Mark Shugoll

Jay Speer

Matthew Tait

Edward Weiner

Jonathan Goldman, Faculty Arts Club

Molly Grimsley, CVPA Alumni Chapter

Linda Harber, President, Friends of Music

Mack Miller, President Emeritus, Friends of Theater

Eloise Stinger, President, Friends of the Center for the Arts

CVPA Faculty/Staff Board Members Appointed by the Dean

Djola Branner, Director, School of Theater

Elizabeth (Libby) Curtis, Director, Mason Community Arts Academy

Rick Davis, Dean, CVPA; Executive Director, Hylton Performing Arts Center

Niyati Dhokai, Program Manager, Veterans and the Arts Initiative

Hasan Elahi, Director, School of Art

Cynthia Fuchs, Director, Film and Video Studies

Adrienne Bryant Godwin, Director of Programming

Susan Graziano, Director, CVPA Development

Lisa Kahn, Associate Dean, Academic Affairs

Dennis Layendecker, Heritage Chair Professor, School of Music

Mary Lechter, Associate Director, Mason Community Arts

Friends of the Center for the Arts Board

Eloise Stinger, President

Paulette Miller, Co-Vice President for Events

Ida Portland, Co-Vice President for Events

Joyce Grimes, Vice President for Membership

Bob Warakomsky, Vice President for Communications

Kay Gilbert, Secretary

Hylton Executive Board

Jason Hickman, Chair

Sheyna Burt, Vice Chair

Rick Davis, Secretary

Jatin Ambegaonkar

Heather S. Aram

Sheryl Bass

Phillip Bongiorno

Hyla London, Director, CVPA Marketing and Communications

Scott Martin, Director, Virginia Serious Game Institute

Linda Monson, Director, School of Music

Sang Nam, Director, Computer Game Design Program

William Reeder, Director, Arts Management Program; Heritage Chair for Arts & Cultural Criticism

Karen Reedy, Director, School of Dance

Don Starr, Associate Director, School of Art

Julie Thompson, Executive Director, Center for the Arts

John Wilkin, CVPA Chief Financial Officer

Robert Yi, Associate Director, School of Art

R. Pat Carroll, Budget Officer

Dianne Blais

Gail Chmura

Louis Delair, Jr.

A.J. Driscoll

Shirley Joyce

Evelyn Kiley

Linda Kostrzewa

Mika Kostrzewa

Sonja Palomaki

Joanne Schoonover

Ron Carmichael

Joyce Connery

Seth Hendler-Voss

Denise (Deb) Jewell

Denise McPhail

Krista Newton

Kris Nohe

Ken Schoonover

Kimberly Siepmann

Walt Smith

Eloise Stinger

Janice Sutera Wolfe

Joan White

Pat Pate

Rene Stewart O’Neal

Ann B. Wheeler

Randall Edwards, Emeritus

Carol Merchant Kirby, Emeritus

CENTER FOR THE ARTS STAFF

Rick Davis, Dean, College of Visual and Performing Arts; Executive Director, Hylton Performing Arts Center

Julie Thompson, Executive Director, Center for the Arts

Administration

Eva-Marie Alis, Executive Assistant to the Dean

Development

Susan Graziano, Director of Development

Ryan Braaten , Associate Director of Development

Emily Rusch , Development Associate

Rachel Ingle , Development Assistant

Amanda Snellings , Assistant Director of Development

Programming and Artist Services

Adrienne Bryant Godwin , Director of Programming

Olivia Hinebaugh , Artist Services Assistant

Haley Smyser, Programming and Engagement Manager

Audience Services

Betsy Yancey, Audience Services Manager

Sue Christensen , Assistant House Manager

Emily Flores Gledhill , Ticket Operations Manager

Maura Glascock , Front of House Manager and Volunteer Coordinator

Stefanie Kline, Assistant House Manager

Ticket Office: Lead Ticket Sellers

Jarrod Clark

Hasan Crawford

Kim Estoque

Madeline Howland

Santiago Alfonzo

Meza

Front of House Staff: Usher Supervisor

Lauren Reamy

Ben Ribler

Ashlyn Rock

Gill Rydholm

Deema Turkomani

Bethany Thompson, Master Electrician

Megan Webb, Program and Production Coordinator

Mason Community Arts Academy

Mary Lechter, Executive Director

Samantha Clarke, Graduate Intern for Instruments in the Attic

Matt Geske, Operations Manager

Morgan Johnson, Coordinator, Registration and Programs

Kaity Cookson Ormesher, Outreach and Theater Program Manager

Alaina Talley Santos, Director of Programs

Regina Schneider, Marketing & Communications Coordinator

Ariel Williams, Assistant Coordinator of Programs & Operations Marketing

Hyla London, Director, Marketing and Communications

Gabriel Celeste, Graphic Designer

Julia Decker, Project and Creative Manager

Rachelle Etienne-Robinson, Digital Marketing Assistant

Kirstin Franko, Associate Director of Communications and Content

Amy Friedman, Social Media Specialist

Zoe Harr, Graduate Assistant, Center for the Arts

Annie Hunt, Publications Assistant

Laura Mertens, Marketing Manager, Center for the Arts

Laura Nunneker, Advertising Coordinator

Stacey Schwartz, Web and Digital Marketing Manager

Iris Zhou, Marketing Coordinator

Operations

Jessica D’Angelo, CFA Production Manager

Dan Hobson, CVPA Production Manager

Cat Buchanan, Dance Wardrobe Coordinator

Lowell Conrad, Assistant Carpenter

Carrie Cox, Scene Shop Assistant

Technical Director, Master Carpenter

Robert Cunningham, Technical Supervisor

Dorsey Drummond, Audio Visual Engineer

Laurel Dunayer, Costume Shop Manager

David Foti, CFA Schedule and Event Coordinator

Will Gautney, Assistant Master Electrician

Francesca Kachur, Events and Production Assistant

Billy Kessinger, Audio Supervisor

Reid May, Audio Technician

Ethan Osborne, Scene Shop Manager

Adrianna Daugherty Smith, Venue Technician

Micah Stromberg, Venue Technician

Tom Terlecki, Venue Technician

Finance

John Wilkin, Director of Finance and Administration; CFO

Meghan Blydenburgh, HR and Payroll Coordinator

Crystal Broomall, Finance Specialist

Jennifer Butler, Payroll and HR Assistant

Teri Grass, Finance Assistant

Delia Johnson, Accountant

Peggy Kamin, Finance/Budget Analyst

Hiwot Kifle, Finance Assistant

Caitlyn Loweth, Event and Contract Coordinator

Catherine Winkert, Associate Director

Susan Arena Bonnie Cowdery

Barbara Gordon

Case Hope

Bea Lewis

Francenia Little Sharon Puckett

RJ Wiersma