Take part in the arts at Virginia Tech!

Don't miss our gala weekend, Oct. 30-Nov. 1, celebrating the grand opening of Theatre 101, a high-tech black box performance space at the intersection of Draper Road and College Avenue, where the Virginia Tech campus meets the heart of downtown Blacksburg!

The university's first LEED-certified building, Theatre 101 is situated beside Henderson Hall, newly renovated and now home to the Department of Theatre and Cinema and colleagues from the School of Performing Arts and Cinema and the School of Visual Arts.

Join alumni performers, directors, designers, and film producers, along with current faculty and students, as we cross the threshold into an exciting new era of the arts at Virginia Tech!

We hope to see you at these gala weekend events:

• Ribbon Cutting, Theatre 101 front steps
  Friday, Oct. 30, 5:00 p.m.
  State, university, and town dignitaries will be on hand as we officially open our newest arts space, a significant step in the Arts Initiative's larger plans at Virginia Tech.
• Open House, Theatre 101 and Henderson Hall
  Friday, Oct. 30, 5:30-6:30 p.m., and Saturday, Oct. 31, 9:00-12:00 a.m.
  Experience the high-end computer-controlled systems in Theatre 101; tour newly renovated Henderson Hall, one of the oldest buildings on campus; and explore offices and studios filled with special demonstrations and exhibits created by faculty and staff in theatre and cinema, music, graphic design, and art and art history. The Oct. 30 open house features a reception.
• Performance, Theatre 101, tickets required ($)
  Made in Taiwan, written and performed by Michelle Krusiec
  Friday, Oct. 30, 2:00 p.m.
  Saturday, Oct. 31, 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
  Sunday, Nov. 1, 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
  Immediately following graduation from Virginia Tech, Michelle Krusiec (theatre arts '96, English '96) embarked on an acting career that includes such film and television credits as Far North, Saving Face, What Happens in Vegas, Dirty Sexy Money, and Grey's Anatomy. Michelle's one-woman show, Made in Taiwan, a coming-of-age tale of an adolescent girl struggling to understand her identity, began as a project when Michelle was still a student at Tech. She has continued to refine and perform the work at various venues and festivals, including premieres at the HBO Aspen Comedy Festival and the inaugural National Asian American Theater Festival in New York City. The performance includes adult content and language.

Tickets ($9 general and $7 students/seniors) are available online at www.tickets.vt.edu or through the UUSA Ticket Office at (540) 231-5615.

And so much more . . .

• Distinguished Alumni Panel, Squires Studio Theatre in Squires Student Center, free admission
  Saturday, Oct. 31, 3:30 p.m.
  Eight Department of Theatre Arts and Cinema alumni with varied career paths join Michelle Krusiec and Rudd Simmons for a discussion of their experiences in the film and theatre industries.
• Tree planting, Saturday, Oct. 31, 5 p.m.
  Two commemorative trees will be planted in honor of the department founders, Tony Distler and Don Drapeau.
• Downtown Halloween Activities
  Saturday, Oct. 31, 2:00-8:00 p.m.
  The Downtown Merchants of Blacksburg celebrate Halloween with trick-or-treating from 4:00-5:30 p.m. for children 12 and under, a children's play, music, food booths, costume contests, street games, prizes, and, of course, scary stories. Activities and events, all free, will be ongoing throughout the downtown area.

Enhancing the Arts

A comprehensive, university-wide effort to enhance the presence and practice of the arts at Virginia Tech, the Arts Initiative will lay the path to new ways of learning at the infinite intersections between the arts and other disciplines.

The Arts Initiative will make substantial investments in the arts that initiate and nurture dynamic collaborations on campus and beyond, enabling the university to

• strengthen its performance, visual, and creative arts programs and enhance programming and scholarship university-wide.
• attract professional artists to perform or exhibit their work on campus.
• design models that advance creative and critical-thinking skills in secondary school (P-12) learning environments.
• act as a catalyst for economic and community development, driving tourism, entrepreneurship, and innovation.
• establish dynamic community and regional partnerships among government, business, and citizen groups.

New Facilities

Long committed to educating the whole person, Virginia Tech has designated new and renovated space for the creation of the Center for the Arts, comprised of

• a state-of-the-art performance hall with a 1,300-seat capacity.
• a visual arts gallery that promotes curatorial partnerships with arts organizations, including the Art Museum of Western Virginia.
• renovations to Shultz Hall for multidisciplinary use:
  • a creative technologies lab for cutting-edge teaching, learning, and research.
  • a collaborative studio for multimedia art installations and performances.
  • support space for the performance hall and the visual arts gallery.

To reach these goals, the university is enriching its arts programming and facilities, including

• an experimental theatre for the Department of Theatre Arts’ smaller productions, and renovations to Henderson Hall for arts faculty office space.

• enhanced academic space in the Armory for the Department of Art and Art History.

• development of digital sound and visual animation labs.

New Executive Director for Center for the Arts

• Ruth Waalkes named executive director of the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech

Future Plans

The initiative’s future plans include

• a new Center for Creative Technologies in the Arts to facilitate transdisciplinary research in support of P-12, undergraduate, and graduate education.
• upgrades to performance and teaching spaces in Squires Student Center.
• additional outdoor sculpture on campus to engage the community and visually highlight the arts on campus.
• a visiting artists program to bring national and international artists to campus for residencies, workshops, and other educational opportunities.