Scheduling policy to be announced soon

Emil Kang has a tough job ahead of him.

During a time of transition for UNC’s arts community, the University’s newly installed executive director for the arts faces the difficult task of booking the largest venue on campus.

He must include both students and world-class performers. And adding to the sense of urgency, he must do it in Memorial Hall, a central campus venue that’s been closed for three years.

Memorial’s renovation will be completed in June, and its debut season is to launch in September. Most undergraduates have never set foot inside the building.

Balancing the schedule has been a challenge, Kang said, especially since the venue will be funded independently from student fees and will have to raise revenues based on the caliber of its performances.

“It’s not a negative,” Kang said, “It’s just a fact. I hope there’s an awareness and a consciousness of that.”

More than 40 dates for Memorial Hall’s debut season already have been booked, and Kang announced Friday at the Board of Visitors meeting that “a large chunk” of the season’s tickets — likely to range in price from $15 to $75 — will be reserved for students.

In order to address the complexity of such scheduling, Kang last week enlisted the help of an advisory committee comprising leaders from student government and the Carolina Union Activities Board.

And though more than a month’s worth of dates has been booked, campus leaders said this week that they’re confident Memorial Hall will be able to fulfill all its promises.

“It is a student-oriented space,” said Casey Molino Dunn, chairman of the arts advocacy committee of student government.

“It’s important to the community, but we are an important part of that community.”

Student Body Vice President Adrian Johnston said issues relating to the arts — particularly those addressing communication among arts groups — will be a priority for student government as Memorial Hall becomes a major force on campus.

“We definitely want to make sure that students have access to that space,” Johnston said. “And I’m confident that that will be the case.”

Still, leaders involved in the process said Memorial Hall — which has more seats than other venues and, consequently, more fees associated with its use — will be a delicate space to book.

“My goal is to make the option to perform in Memorial Hall open to everybody,” said Jonathon Benson, president-elect of CUAB.

“But to be honest, there are some acts that are more appropriate than others. I can go out there with a kazoo, but that doesn’t mean I can perform in Memorial Hall.”

Kang said he anticipates that a formal announcement of the scheduling process will be released before the close of the semester.

Because the space is so large and has so many costs associated with it — including fees for use, staff, security and production equipment — groups that perform in Memorial Hall will have to draw large crowds to cover the expense.

“You have to fill quite a few seats,” Molino Dunn said. “There are a lot more fees involved.”

The scheduling policy will take such issues into consideration, campus leaders said.

CUAB President Claire Anderson said campus officials must find a way to balance student interests with Kang’s larger goal of creating a community forum for the arts.

“A lot of people have overarching goals for the University to become an arts destination,” Anderson said.

“I feel pretty confident that that goal won’t overshadow student interests.”

She said the policy will likely undergo revisions once Memorial Hall is up and running.

“We’re putting this into place this soon because we have to,” she said. “There’s going to be trouble-shooting. It’s not supposed to be set in stone; it’s supposed to last a year.”

As part of the season’s opening, Kang reserved Sept. 11 for student performances.

Molly Stapleton, a member of student government’s arts advocacy committee, will overseeing the event, titled “Carolina Performs.”

She said it will demonstrate Memorial Hall’s potential to host student productions.

Kang echoed a similar sentiment. The show will be symbolic of the hall’s dual mission, he said. It also should act as a mechanism to draw in crowds from both the campus and the larger community.

“How we can include students, not just as audience members but also as performers, was a big issue,” he said about the planning.

Stapleton said the event will be a way to “celebrate the huge amount of talent” within the university community.

“Memorial Hall is going to bring in a lot of internationally renowned performers, and it’s really important that students on campus know it’s for them, too.”

Contact the A&E Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.