5 Questions with Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State Director George Trudeau

Besides kicking off another Penn State football season, September also means the start of another season for the Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State. The 2016-17 season begins Sept. 21 at Eisenhower Auditorium with Cirque Eloize’s Saloon, A Musical Acrobatic Adventure, a show co-commissioned by the Center for the Performing Arts.

As director for the Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State since 2004, George Trudeau has looked to put together a diverse schedule each season. The 2016-17 one is no different, with Broadway performances, classical music offerings, jazz, shows for the whole family, and more.

Trudeau took time to talk about this season’s slate of artistic offerings.

T&G: You’ve been the director there for 12 years, have things changed in terms of how you look to schedule a season?

Trudeau: There are many considerations that go into assembling our season. The two principle considerations are what we’ll present on our stages [public performances] and what each presentation will offer in terms of engagement programs for the campus and community.

The main criteria for our presenting season remain unchanged and include high artistic quality, a diverse balance of artistic voices, incorporating both the familiar and challenging, providing cultural enrichment for Central Pennsylvania, and maintaining the CPA as a leader in the field. We’ve kept consistency in the range of genres presented over the years. We also keep in mind what’s appropriate for our facilities, providing variety and contrast to our recent seasons, and to what’s being presented by other organizations in the community.

Changes that have happened in my years as director include expanding our classical music program, regularly commissioning and presenting new work, hosting major residencies of multidisciplinary projects, presenting jazz in Schwab Auditorium, periodic presentations of major singer/songwriters and Broadway artists, using the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center to present a capella vocal ensembles, and supporting and presenting contemporary circus companies.

I’m particularly proud of the growth in both our campus and community-engagement programs. We have significantly expanded the academic integration of our programs and developed a growing partnership with Student Affairs. We now have a full-time student engagement manager, a shared position with Student Affairs.

Our community engagement programs have also grown, both in the number of campus programs open to the public and also in visiting artist residencies in schools and community organizations. We’ve been able to reorient one of our staff positions to be even more focused on our community-engagement program.

T&G: What went into schedule this season? Were there any themes or touring shows you knew you wanted?

Trudeau: All our presentations are carefully researched, curated, and placed on our season to provide a balanced and fulfilling season of enriching experiences. There are a few themes and particular shows we sought to bring. I sought out the opportunity to bring the new production of Pippin, as it incorporates contemporary circus elements and thus fits our continuing focus on the cirque genre. I loved Once when I saw it on Broadway and really wanted to bring this great show to our stage. We are continuing our partnership with Sphinx, an organization that supports talented classical artists of color, by presenting the Sphinx Virtuosi. We’re helping to celebrate the centennial of the Pulitzer Prize by presenting two recent winners for composition, Caroline Shaw’s Partita for Eight Voices, performed by Roomful of Teeth, and Julia Wolfe’s Anthracite Fields, performed by Bang on a Can All-Stars with the Penn State Concert Choir. Presenting Anthracite Fields, which commemorates the history of the northeastern Pennsylvania coal region and coal-mining life around the turn of the twentieth century was a natural for us. The documentary theater company En Garde Arts will bring us their new work titled Wilderness. The work employs En Garde Arts’ signature brand of multimedia storytelling, this time using the frame of wilderness-therapy programs to illuminate the real experiences of young adults who struggle to find meaning in their lives, and parents who refuse to give up hope for their kids.

T&G: The 2016-17 season begins with Cirque Eloize’s Saloon, which is co-commissioned by CPA. You’ve developed a good relationship with the company. How did that come about?

Trudeau: The CPA has become one of the leading United States presenters and supporters of contemporary circus companies. We actively participate in networks that connect to the most innovative and exciting cirque artists and companies. Amy Vashaw, director of audience and program development, regularly attends the annual circus festival in Montreal each summer and was invited to be a delegate to the Autopistes program, an international collaboration aimed at nurturing the contemporary circus field and supporting the presenting of incredible companies from around the world. Cirque Eloize is one of the most creative contemporary circus companies and has become a favorite of our audiences. The CPA first presented the company in 1995. I became familiar with Cirque Eloize in 2005 when I attended a performance in New York City and engaged them to present the work I saw, titledRain, on our 2006-07 season. We remained in close contact with the company and in subsequent seasons presented ID and then Cirkopolis. Saloon will be their fifth presentation at Penn State. We were enthusiastic when asked in 2013 if we would be able to support the creation of Cirkopolis. I’m very pleased that over 40 of our patrons contributed as investors in that work, and we’ll have even more involved as investors in supporting the CPA’s co-commission of Saloon.

T&G: The Classical Music Project is entering its fifth season. How has that developed and how does the future look for it?

Trudeau: We’ve been honored to receive two grants from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to raise the profile of Center for the Performing Arts classical music presentations and to engage Penn State students, faculty, and the community with classical music programs. The principle aim is to provide opportunities for students to gain an understanding and appreciation of classical music that will last throughout their lives. We engage students in a broad array of classical music programs, including students at Penn State Altoona. Steady growth over the five years of the CMP in the percentage of Penn State students attending our classical music concerts led to last season to students comprising a remarkable 51 percent of our total audience for classical music performances! 2016-17 is the last season where we’ll have Mellon Foundation grant support, but I’m confident that, working with our partners and others who see the value of this endeavor, we’ll find the support and funds to continue this important component of our program.

T&G: You probably want to say all of them – but what shows are you particularly looking forward to this season?

Trudeau: I do love all our shows and look forward to attending each one! But, I will mention a few that standout for me. It’s always exciting to present work that we’ve commissioned, so, in addition to Cirque Eloize’s Saloon, I’m looking forward to hearing the new work we co-commissioned from Philadelphia-based composer Joseph Hallman to be performed by the amazing piano-clarinet-cello trio of Inon Barnatan, Anthony McGill, and Alisa Weilerstein. I enjoy bringing artists who are just now becoming well-known, and the incredible jazz trumpeter and singer Bria Skonberg fits that bill. It’s a pleasure to welcome back artists and ensembles bringing their latest creations, so in that respect I’m looking forward to Cirque Eloize, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, and Julia Wolfe’s Anthracite Fields. It’s always wonderful to provide an opportunity for our talented students to take the stage, and I’m pleased that the Penn State Concert Choir will be collaborating in the performance of Anthracite Fields. Finally, projects and artists that push boundaries this season includeBrooklyn Babylon that incorporates live painting with an original jazz score, and DakhaBrakha from Ukraine that draws from their heritage while incorporating musical traditions from around the world to create a new and unique performance experience. And of course, there’s much more to look forward to in the coming season!

For tickets and more information on the Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State’s 2016-17 season, visit cpa.psu.edu.