Around Campus
Gordon Theater gets a makeover
Archived article from Nov 1, 2004
A facelift at 30? Not for most people, but for the Gordon Theater, which turns 30 this year, a makeover has long been due. That’s why this past summer the performing arts center, located in the Rutgers-Camden Center for the Arts, underwent a $750,000 renovation project, and this season’s patrons and performers have been more than pleased.
First constructed in 1974, the 660-seat theater located on Third Street, now enjoys new comfortable seating, computer-assisted lighting, a cutting-edge sound system and a fresh coat of paint. New plush velvet curtains offer a proper welcome to all of the various artists from around the world who will grace the Gordon Theater stage this season and beyond.
What better way to reopen the theater, than to host a charitable musical star in the midst of a world tour? Last month the Steinway Peace Piano took center stage during the Concert for World Peace that not only featured such reputable talents as the Stanley Cowell Quartet and soprano Julianne Baird, but raised money for a good cause: UNICEF.
While the Oct. 10 concert, sponsored by Jacobs Music, was free for attendees, Camden students worked to raise $1,000 for UNICEF and presented a check to Mark Love of Jacobs Music during the concert. The new-and-improved Gordon Theater certainly amplified the songs dedicated to world peace and inspired audience members to incorporate a UNICEF trick-or-treat box into their Halloween costumes.
The Concert for World Peace is just one of many exciting events to be held this year at the refurbished theater. The Rutgers-Camden Center for the Arts has joined a fellow Camden-based arts group, the South Jersey Performing Arts Center, for the debut of CityArts On Stage, a 2004-05 season of performances that includes a full-scale opera, a famous Russian ballet company and an award-winning gospel singer.
CityArts On Stage has combined two budgets, two teams of seasoned arts professionals, and two audience bases and outreach lists to better target audiences from within Camden and the surrounding regions. All of these initiatives are intended to provide audience members with bigger and better performances in Camden. While CityArts On Stage performances will take place at a variety of venues in South Jersey, the bulk of the 13 performances will be held at the newly renovated Gordon Theater.
“From a performance of Bizet’s classic opera, ‘Carmen,’ to the St. Petersburg Ballet’s presentation of ‘Giselle,’ CityArts On Stage offers thought-provoking entertainment for a diverse audience in a comfortable atmosphere. We’re thrilled to showcase the newly refurbished Gordon Theater during this exciting venture,” says Virginia Oberlin Steel, director of the RCCA. For more information on the CityArts On Stage season, call (856) 225-6271, or visit rcca.camden.rutgers.edu.
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