Theater Naming and Major Theater Facility Improvements
Theater Naming and Major Theater Facility Improvements
Cotter Schools is thrilled to announce that the theater in St. Cecilia Hall has been formally named the HBP Theater at St. Cecilia Hall. The name has been established to recognize a long-standing partnership between Hurry Back Productions (HBP) and Cotter Schools. HBP has also become the sponsor of the Academy Theatre in the Valencia Arts Center.
“We are so fortunate to partner with HBP,” said Mary Eileen Fitch, President of Cotter Schools. “Our students’ experiences and our physical spaces have benefited significantly from HBP’s investment over the past several years, and this partnership only increases the opportunities for our students in both the immediate future and for years to come.”
Hurry Back Productions (HBP) exists to provide performing arts and cultural programming in the local communities of Winona and Southeastern Minnesota. In addition to the popular Highway 61 Concert Series, HBP is launching an exciting, new lineup of concerts in 2024, Artists Next Door. HBP provides incredible support for the performing arts at Cotter Schools as well for many other non-profit organizations in the Winona area.
Mike Slaggie, Executive Director of HBP said “Hurry Back Productions and the Slaggie Family Foundation are proud to continue our long-standing partnerships with Cotter Schools. Our hope is to see these spaces used to help create opportunities in the arts for students from all over the region as well as for members of the Winona area community. This agreement and the improvements to Cotter’s facilities that accompany it will make these spaces destinations for creative excellence.”
HBP Theater at St. Cecilia Hall is the primary performing arts theater for Cotter Schools. The venue is used for band and choir concerts, plays and musicals, and other special presentations and activities. In 2023, the theater became the home of the Cotter Schools Jazz Festival, presented by Hurry Back Productions. The festival continues each year bringing dozens of jazz bands from across the region for clinics and performances, open to the public, with world-class jazz artists, such as St. Paul Peterson. Thousands of concert-goers have experienced the excellent Highway 61 Concert Series in the HBP Theater at St. Cecilia Hall, now entering its 6th season. The HBP Theater at St. Cecilia Hall is a beautiful, historic theater that was renovated in 2017 and is equipped with audio and lighting equipment enabling the theater to be used for sophisticated concerts and productions.
The Academy Theatre, sponsored by HBP, is the largest performance venue in the Valencia Arts Center, which is the home for the Minnesota Conservatory of the Arts (MCA). As an affiliate of Cotter Schools, MCA provides quality arts education and performances for the community by nurturing and encouraging artistic expression in children and adults. Used for theatre, dance, music recitals, and special events, the theatre is an intimate setting for performing arts. The new Artists Next Door concert lineup by HBP will kick off its inaugural season in the Academy Theatre, sponsored by HBP, on October 4. Jacque Paulsen, Director of MCA said, “This gift will enhance the performing arts experience for both the students of MCA and the patrons that will enjoy performances. We are honored and excited to provide excellence in arts opportunities with the help of Hurry Back Productions.”
In 2024, Cotter Schools will be making significant upgrades to the theaters in St. Cecilia Hall and the Valencia Arts Center. Both theaters will receive upgraded audio, lighting, display technology and new curtains, in addition to other improvements. The historic charm of the facilities will remain as their technical capabilities continue to develop.
Cotter Schools and Hurry Back Productions look forward to the exciting future of this partnership and invite the entire community to join in celebrating this great step forward for the performing arts at Cotter Schools and for the greater community.
Theater Naming and Major Theater Facility Improvements
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Theater Naming and Major Theater Facility Improvements
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