LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR

Welcome to the highly-anticipated opening of the Northwest Center for the Performing Arts. To say we are thrilled would be an understatement. So much has occurred: the early stages of planning, the Ground-Breaking Ceremony in the fall of 2020, the historic Topping Out Ceremony, and now drawing open the grand curtain! Northwest Mississippi Community College will use this Center for the Performing Arts to continue to invest in the arts through breathtaking experiences that will be captivating and inspirational. The Center for the Performing Arts will share the same vision as the college which is to transform our students’ lives, enrich our communities, and strive for excellence in our educational programs and services.

During this inaugural season, The Northwest Center for the Performing Arts plans to enrich, inspire, educate, and entertain you with nationally- and world-renowned artists and performances. Tony Award winner Kristin Chenoweth, Emmy Award winner Jay Leno, Oscar Award winner Billy Bob Thornton and his band the Boxmasters, and former presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson are just a few exhilarating events that will make our first season memorable.

You will find that this season is also packed with a wide variety of performances that are certain to give a rollercoaster ride of entertainment. We are proud to bring you RAIN — A Tribute to the Beatles, the internationallyrenowned Donny Edwards and his Elite ELVIS Tribute, Grammy Award-winning blues man Bobby Rush, and the masterful North Mississippi Symphony Orchestra. Families can look forward to inspiring theatre touring shows with The Pirates of Penzance straight from New York City, Disney’s Winnie the Pooh: The New Musical Stage Adaptation, and Pinkalicious: The Musical Our goal is that our season will have a little something for everyone. There is even more to come at the Northwest Center for the Performing Arts. If you’re a movie buff, we hope you’ll join us for our film series. We’re bringing to our big screen

Back to the Future, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Frozen, Soul, and Finding Nemo NWCC has the status of being a

Steinway School, and we will bring you simulcast events straight from Manhattan on our beautiful 9’ Steinway Spirio concert grand piano. Lastly, we are delighted to bring local and regional talent to our stage in the summer with an in-house production of Meredith Willson’s The Music Man as well as an all-youth presentation of Seussical Jr. Everything we do is a dedication to making this wonderful facility accessible to everyone in Northwest Mississippi.

Student impact is a key focus for our institution. Our 65,000-square-foot facility will be home to Northwest Choir concerts, Ranger Band events, and Northwest Theatre productions. Our venue includes classrooms, a recording studio, practice rooms, band halls, and choir halls. Through the Center for the Performing Arts, Northwest students will have more opportunities in instruction, performance, and even employment. This is in an effort to achieve the college’s mission to foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and most importantly student success.

From EGOT* award-winning performers to electrifying concerts and outstanding theatre, we invite you to be a part of the magic that only live performance can bring. We can’t wait to see you on opening night!

Sincerely,

Kerry Goff Director of the Northwest Center for the Performing Arts

* Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony