’09-’10 season means big things for CCA

Posted on Oct. 01, 2009, at 1:05 a.m.

Throughout the Collins Center for the Arts, there are people hard at work putting the finishing touches on the venue’s renovations. LED lights are being placed throughout the glass façade. Fluffy, green sod is being put down in front of the building and the café area just got an artistic overhaul. The white walls give it a serene look, and the smell of paint and building supplies still lingers in the air.

The 2009-2010 season marks the first full season of the newly redesigned and renamed CCA, formerly the Maine Center for the Arts. The year ahead is full of diverse and fascinating acts, ranging from the choreographed kung-fu of “Shaolin Warriors,” to a Broadway production of the musical “Cats.” The recent renovations have opened a world of possibilities in the realms of music, theater, dance and film.

“All I can say is everyone’s been working very hard,” said John Patches, executive director of the CCA. “The university administration and all the various departments and facilities have really, in the last number of weeks, pulled together.”

To ring in the opening, the CCA will be holding its gala performance this Saturday with the performance by singer-songwriter Neil Sedaka. From then on, the season is full of performances from the Bangor Symphony Orchestra, concerts by Grammy Award-winning musicians like Suzanne Vega and Sweet Honey and professional musicals and ballets.

But live performances are only half the fun.

“For us, the big news would be film,” Patches said. “The great projector we’ve been able to purchase, the surround-sound system is going in next week, so that will all be in place for the [Metropolitan Operas], which are also new for this season.”

The operas are high-definition, live broadcasts straight from the Met in New York City. The CCA will be showing the entire season starting with Puccini’s “Tosca” on Oct. 10. According to Patches, special satellite dishes had to be installed on the roof to pick up the broadcasts.

In addition, a series of independent films are being played on Thursday nights in the CCA. Patches said he understands it’s important for the CCA to be as relevant and hip as possible and feels the independent film series is a great way to achieve that.

“Places such as [the CCA], that were built in the ’80s, were built in a different time in a sense, even though a very recent time,” Patches said. “This place in particular was built for classical music and for speakers, and that whole paradigm has shifted.”

Patches chuckled as he admitted he was most looking forward to the chamber music series in Minsky Auditorium for its lofty artistic merit.

He hopes that the opening of the Verve Café, run by Abe and Heather Furth — owners of Woodman’s Bar and Grille and the Verve in Orono — will help the CCA’s image as well. The café will be opening in October and will operate from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, as well as during events. There are also plans to put in a bar, according to Patches.

The eclectic mix of acts is designed so there is something for everyone this season.

“Our audience is very diverse,” Patches said. “I think a place such as this on a university campus has the responsibility to try and be all things, to all people. I believe that diversity is extremely important, particularly in this day and age. I think it’s important for students of all ages to see how other cultures approach creativity.”

Patches said he hopes to combine all the facets of the CCA together: performances, film and the collections at the Hudson Museum.

The renovations have reinvigorated the museum. The world-renowned collection, which the university acquired before Patches can even remember, has never had a proper home.

“Before there was no definition to the museum,” Patches said. With the new technology acquired during the renovations, the museum can finally display the collection properly. “Most of the general public hasn’t seen about two thirds of the collection.”

The renovations totaled $11.2 million dollars, according to Patches. The Collins family, the namesake of the center, donated $5 million.

Richard Collins told The Maine Campus last spring his family made its contribution “to keep UMaine moving ahead, to keep improving. Our interest is in the university, in education and decision making. That’s what we’re focusing on, to make sure that young people have the same benefits that we had when we were going to college.”

Collaboration has been key for the CCA. Patches said his team has been working closely with student activities and other offices around campus about speakers. This year is also the first time an event is being co-produced by the Bangor Symphony Orchestra. The “Classical Mystery Tour” — a Beatles tribute band with the Bangor Symphony Orchestra backing them up — will take place in late March.

For a complete schedule of events and performances visit: collinscenterforthearts.com