Goal Eleven

Goal 11: Open the Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center by 2018.

Progress:

The Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center opened in April 2019 with a dedication ceremony on April 11, followed by more than a week of Gonzaga music and dance concerts, April 25-May 5. The opening performance, “A New Season,” was a collaborative production by the Music and Theatre/Dance departments showcasing more than 140 students from Gonzaga choir, orchestra, dance, and acting ensembles.  Performances were attended by more than 3,250 people from the Gonzaga community, Spokane, and beyond, including a school matinee of “A New Season” with free and reduced-cost tickets for 650 students from grades 3 through 12.  Audiences were thrilled by the talent of our GU student/faculty performers, and fell in love with the aesthetics and acoustics of the hall.

For the 2019-20 season, the Fr. Bernard J. Coughlin, S.J. Theater and the Martin and Edwidge Recital Hall in the Performing Arts Center will host a full schedule of Gonzaga music, dance, and theater performances. The MWPAC will also present fourteen professional productions by artists and ensembles from the United States and Europe. The performance spaces will also accommodate a variety of Gonzaga University functions and community events.

The Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center, designed to host performances in theater, music and dance, lays the foundation for a new era of teaching and learning in the creative disciplines and the humanities at Gonzaga through the College of Arts and Sciences. The 57, 550-square-foot facility features a 750-seat performance theatre, 150-seat recital/rehearsal hall for music and dance, a two-story lobby with box office, and dedicated space for instruction and projects involving a variety of arts disciplines. The Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center was made possible by Miss Woldson, who also established an endowed scholarship for academically qualified, but financially challenged students.