Student Blog: The Next Act: An Interview about Ball States New Performing Arts Center

While being an arts student at Ball State, I soon realized that there are some incredible opportunities that are happening around Ball State and the community of Muncie. The biggest thing that is currently happening in the department is the fact that we are getting a new performing arts center! For the past few years, the new PAC has been in development and it’s finally almost ready to open! I got to sit down for a little bit and talk to the department chair, Bill Jenkins, about the performing arts center. 

Starting off, I asked Bill about what the opening of the PAC meant for the department of theatre and dance. The biggest thing he mentioned was how we had a great department and that it was the people in the place and not the place that made a difference. Sometimes our facilities didn’t match the level of the students and the level of what they were doing. However, we did have great human beings. That is still the case, but now, we have top notch performing arts center facilities.The great thing about this project was that it has about $110 million of new and renovated facilities for a school in the middle of the midwest. And at a time where arts programs are being cut constantly, says a lot about Ball State's commitment to the fine arts (specifically the performing arts). Bill said that it won’t just benefit one particular area with performance students, but it’ll benefit design tech, theatre education, directing, stage management, and so much more. 

With the new performing arts center, Bill mentioned that he is most excited for the purpose based facilities that actually allow students to deal with modern technologies. These spaces are extremely accessible for all students. This makes it possible for students who are in wheelchairs to go up and change a light, or stage managers can have their own accessible booth. Also, with the new shops we’re getting, it can allow for design tech students to do their best work and allow their creativity to have freedom.

The new PAC will have around 430 seats. Even with there being so many seats, the theatre still feels intimate, similar to our old theatre. Having a balcony will also make a huge difference for students, because it will help them get an understanding on how to play for a Broadway house. There is also a trap room with an electronic-rising pit. The PAC will also feature a flexible black box theatre. Ball State will be doing somewhere around 9 shows a year mixing between mainstage productions and Studio Productions. With having multiple spaces, we can have multiple shows running at once. This was unable to happen in the past because of sound bleed. The new studio will also allow for great programming in the summer. It will also allow for directors to have creative freedom that they couldn’t have before.

While talking to Bill, we talked about some of the challenges that were encountered while transitioning to the new PAC. Bill said that challenges happen no matter what you’re transitioning to. One of the most recent challenges that occurred happened when Muncie got hit with a lot of flooding in August. We lost some costume storage, but nothing too significant. 

Muncie, IN is a great place for the arts and is very well versed in the arts. I mean, Bob Ross did film a lot of his show, The Joy of Painting, right here in Muncie. With the new performing arts center, this will bring more people to Muncie. This will make for more commercial opportunities in the area where people, not just students, can gather. Along with the new PAC, there is also a new hotel added to it which will be a huge component of that. Bill mentioned that the community of Muncie already has a vibrant arts community, this will just add to the area in which we have great strengths. 

To wrap things up, I asked Bill what he hopes audiences understand about the department of theatre and dance at Ball State when they first visit the performing arts center. Bill said he hopes audiences realize that it’s one of the best in the country, and that it ultimately is a place where Muncie and Ball State invests in the arts in ways that other places across the country only talk about, but aren’t able to do.

The performing arts center will officially open on December 4 and will be a great experience for everyone! If you’re ever in the Muncie area, make sure to check it out. We would love to have you!