Wharton Center Public Open House September 15, 2007

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Wharton Center for Performing Arts is celebrating 25 years as Michigan’s premier performing arts center with a special public open house featuring behind-the-scenes tours and hands-on demonstrations on Saturday, September 15, 2007, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free parking will be available to those attending if they enter the Wharton Center ramp off from Wilson Road. Indicate to the parking attendant that you are here for the open house.

Tours are free and will include the Cobb Great Hall stage where guests will learn some of the technical aspects of putting on a show including seeing the orchestra “fly system” in operation, learning how a show is loaded into the theatre, and getting a glimpse of how it feels to be a performer on stage facing 2,420 seats. Other highlights include a special backstage tour of the dressing rooms and rehearsal studio as well as the Pasant Theatre stage and the Wolfram Green Room, and hands-on demonstrations including a chance to operate a stage spotlight.

Tours will take approximately one hour and there will be volunteers available along the route highlighting key features and points-of-interest. Wharton Center Executive Staff will also be available to answer questions after the tour. The first 100 guests will receive a free Wharton Center t-shirt; all others will receive a special commemorative gift.

As a not-for-profit performing arts center located on the campus of Michigan State University, the mission of Wharton Center is to enrich the lives of Michigan residents and strengthen the value of the arts in everyday life by serving as a leading resource for renowned arts entertainment and education programs. Wharton Center officially became a reality on September 25, 1982, with a performance by the world famous Chicago Symphony Orchestra, which is returning this season for a special concert on October 14. Twenty-five years since that inaugural performance, Wharton Center stands not only as a tribute to Dr. Clifton and Dolores Wharton, but to all those who made the facility possible.