The Stephen Sondheim Center for the Performing Arts, the brand new 520-seat theatre will open with a Sondheim Gala in December of 2007 in Fairfield, Iowa, and it will house this new vision for professional musical theatre in the Midwest. "As the most celebrated living composer-lyricist for American musical theatre, Mr. Sondheim has only given his name to one other theatre located in England," state press materials.
The Center's artistic director Randal K. West believes the Midwest is ready for a fully professional residential company that specializes in Musical Theatre. "We should always plan to do a certain amount of "new work". The need exists to support the creation of new musicals and help them in their process toward becoming solid entertainment that advances the art form", stated West.
"The Sondheim Center will also nurture and train new talent in both performing and designing musical theatre. Every project will have an educational component. In the near future, they plan to found a Performing Arts Conservatory connected to their Summer Musical Theatre Company. From it's inception they will be offering a College residential internship program, workshops and seminars. Their goal encompasses presenting the very best in musical theatre and offer audiences a chance to see Broadway performers in roles that they helped define. West detailed an aggressive plan toward presenting both concert versions of musicals, and fully mounted musicals, utilizing the very best of Broadway talent mixed with the very best of 'up and coming talent.'"
As the theatre vision was being created and refined, the naming committee came to West and asked if there was any chance he could ask Stephen Sondheim to lend his name to the building. West had worked with Sondheim while he was the Theatre Coordinator for the City of Phoenix. George Furth and Stephen Sondheim used a Phoenix production of Merrily We Roll Along as a means of being part of the workshop process after the La Jolla Playhouse workshop.
Sondheim wrote: "I'm honored and flattered that you would choose to name a building after me. What thrills me most is not the boost for my ego but the fact that I'm a part, no matter how distant, of your devotion to the development of professional musical theater, especially as it contributes to the cultural landscape of the Midwest. Support for the arts on the East and West coasts is highly publicized, less so in your section of the country. I hope that the Stephen Sondheim Center for the Performing Arts will prove to be a major contribution."
The theatre opens with it's first fully-mounted musical with a production of Merrily We Roll Along in January of 2008, followed by the founding of the Concert musicals; and leading to our first full summer season.
The Sondheim Center is just beginning to build its programming for the first year of operation. They are accepting submissions of new musical theatre work, resumes from creative staff and talent and contacting well known Broadway talent and trying to convince them to "come on over" to the Midwest.
For further information regarding the Stephen Sondheim Center, visit www.sondheimcenter.com or email West at rwest@sondheimcenter.com
