STAGES St. Louis Receives $400K Gift to Establish Emerson American Musical Creative

Emerson, a diversified global manufacturing and technology company, and generous supporter of STAGES since 1996, has contributed $400K to the STAGES ST. LOUIS Capital Campaign, for exclusive naming rights of the now Emerson American Musical Creative.

The newly established division of STAGES (2013) aims to establish St. Louis as a hub for the creation of new American musical Theater Productions. The first of its kind in the state of Missouri, Emerson American Musical Creative has the potential of not only creating new Musical Theatre Works that could live on for decades, it also has the enormous potential of putting St. Louis on the national performing arts map as a creative force in new product.

As a specific project develops, public readings and workshop performances will be scheduled to gather audience feedback, leading potentially to a full-fledged production at STAGES and/or other regional theatres. STAGES' new Education and Administrative facility, the Kent Center for Theatre Arts, serves as the home for the Emerson American Musical Creative. The flexible performance hall and rehearsal space provides an ideal location for readings and workshops.

"Emerson and STAGES are both committed to progress in our respective worlds and we could not be more proud at STAGES to merge Emerson's name with our newest division, Emerson American Musical Creative, which will help STAGES live out its mission of preserving and advancing the art form of Musical Theatre," said STAGES Executive Producer, Jack Lane. He continued "The musical is truly an indigenous American art form, though its existence has become threatened due to the radical expenses of producing on Broadway. Throughout the last twenty years, a number of forward thinking regional theatres have established nurturing and safe environments in which to create new works. The majority of the great Broadway musicals of the past two decades were in fact created outside of New York. Thanks to Emerson, STAGES will be able to join this illustrious group of regional theatres as we launch the Emerson American Musical Creative. I look forward to the day when St. Louis will be known as the home of great new American musicals. The entire STAGES organization is deeply grateful to Emerson for this profound contribution."

"The arts can have a tremendous impact on enriching the quality of life in a community," said Patrick J. Sly, Emerson Executive Vice President. "Emerson is proud to support STAGES, as it is a great example of an organization that's committed to improving the region through innovative musical theatre."

2013 has given STAGES the opportunity to deepen our position within the St. Louis arts scene, as leaders and visionaries, with the launch of Setting the Stage: The Campaign for Theatre Arts. This $4 million dollar campaign reflects our commitment to innovation and our continued efforts to build a creative bridge between St. Louis, New York, and the national arts landscape through exemplary performances, educational opportunities, and the creation of new Musical Theatre Works.

For more about STAGES, visit stagesstlouis.org.

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