Memorial Hall waits in the wings

People have been whispering its name for years, waiting for the time when Carolina would establish itself as the destination for marquee performing arts shows.

Now, Memorial Hall, the largest performing arts space on campus, is back.

Located on Cameron Avenue and a stone’s throw from the Old Well, the renovated hall is up and running after three years of construction and modernization. Campus officials are heralding it as the symbol of a revitalized and growing arts community.

“The idea that there is a central gathering place for this University is something that has been missing since the hall’s been closed, and I think the reopening is reclaiming that,” said Emil Kang, executive director for the arts, who oversees fund raising efforts and facilities operations for the campus arts community.

Officials say the hall, which seats more than 1,400, is slated to become a destination for the performing arts, drawing acts such as crooner Tony Bennett and violinist Itzhak Perlman for the opening performances Sept. 9 and Sept. 10.

Organizers hope to raise about $1 million in ticket sales this year.

Chancellor James Moeser called the reopening a renaissance for cultural life on campus.

“I think many students come here from small towns, and how many of them have ever had the opportunity … to hear Itzhak Perlman play the violin?” he said. “My hope is that students will be there to take advantage of this.”

While most tickets for the more than 40 performances scheduled this season at the hall are priced at more than $50, students will have an opportunity to attend all Performing Arts Series events, excluding the first two shows of the opening gala, for $10.

Students must purchase a ticket voucher and redeem it for an actual ticket at least 48 hours before the performance. Similar to the protocol for home basketball games, they must show a valid UNC OneCard when purchasing vouchers and redeeming tickets. They can purchase two vouchers per OneCard.

The idea, Kang said, is to monitor the number of tickets sold and avoid empty seats at performances.

“Our big issue is just managing inventory so we don’t lose revenue,” he said. “And what we can’t afford … is to have empty seats.”

Students have more than eight series to choose from, with shows in each series centered around topics including urban voices, American roots music and dance.

DJ Spooky, an acclaimed hip-hop musician and artist, will play the same stage in September that ballet dancers will use to perform “The Nutcracker” in December.

“You’ve got to relate to the 18-year-old and the retiree both, and those are very different tastes,” Kang said. “So we tried very hard to relate and also maintain artistic integrity.”

In an effort to include students in the christening of the renovated building, the opening gala series will include a free, daylong performance Sept. 11 called “Carolina Performs.” The event will be one of the largest of the year, featuring more than 300 student performers.

“It’s definitely a student-oriented day,” said show producer Casey Molino Dunn, a UNC alumnus and former chairman of the arts advocacy committee of Student Government. “It’s also an open house for anyone from the campus community and town community to see the hall and get to see some performances.”

Buzz surrounding the hall has reached a fever pitch in recent weeks, given that few students have stepped inside since it closed for construction in May 2002.

The once-$14.5 million project originally was slated for a spring 2004 completion, but construction setbacks and other delays moved the reopening back and bumped the price tag up to almost $18 million.

The building as it stands today is a far cry from what it was in 1931, when it was first rebuilt.

Modernizations include an air conditioning system, increased space between rows and an enlarged stage, along with other aesthetic improvements.

Now, with a ribbon cutting ceremony on the horizon, the hall has become the first physical representation of the Arts Common, a project intended to infuse North Campus with new arts buildings and spaces.

“As the Arts Common project develops, more and more people will start to see Carolina as a place for them,” Kang said. “And I think that’s really where the magic of the Arts Common takes place; it’s that students and faculty and the community can all engage in conversation, and when they can engage in conversation around the arts, I think we’re all better for it.”

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