State Arts Council "Gets an Earful" at Listening Tour Stop in OC

Tom Torlakson, State Superintendent of Public Instruction; California Arts Council (CAC) Director Craig Watson and CAC Chair Wylie Aitken visited Costa Mesa on July 25th as part of the state arts agency's "Listening Tour" as they prepared for their strategic planning session.  Among those who gave testimony at the meeting were:  David Emmes, Founding Artistic Director, South Coast Repertory; Dawn Reese, Managing Director; Zoot Velasco, Executive Director, The Muckenthaler Cultural Center; Oanh Nguyen, Artistic Director, Chance Theater; Julia Foster, Development Director, Irvine Barclay Theatre; Rick Stein, Executive Director and  Pat Wayne, Deputy Director, of Arts Orange County.

2013 Achievement Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Built Environment 

In the summer of 2012, UCI's Claire Trevor School of the Arts unveiled an unconventional new performance venue, the New Swan Theater-an audacious contemporary reimagining of Shakespeare's original Swan Theatre in London. Initiated by UCI Drama Professor Eli Simon from a dream project originally conceived by longtime UCI drama professor Robert Cohen, the New Swan Theater is a replica of an intimate Elizabethan era theatre with customary "groundlings," mezzanine and balcony seating areas, accommodating an audience of 125. It was constructed of recycled materials in a design that reflects contemporary architectural aesthetics. Built to be "portable" it was assembled for its summer Shakespeare seasons at Gateway Commons, next to Aldrich Park on the UCI campus, and then removed for storage during the winter. According to the New Swan Theater's mission statement, "Shakespeare's theatre was born out of the impulse to create a direct, visceral and egalitarian relationship between actors and audience. We want our audience to feel the emotions, actions, and texts as deeply as the actors, directors and designers that create the art."  This summer, the New Swan Theatre is home to New Swan Shakespeare Festival performances of "A Midsummer Night's Dream," "King Lear," and "The Fantasticks."      

Major Arts Patrons to be Honored at National Philanthropy Day