The 14th annual Affairs of the Arts is coming up at Red Deer College on Saturday, Feb. 26.
“Our theme this year is Behind the Scenes, a bit different from what we’ve done in previous years,” said Lori Ravensborg, an acting instructor in the Motion Picture Arts and Theatre program at RDC.
“So the hope is that participants will get a different view of what an audience would normally see, instead of just a finished product, and more behind the scenes stuff, more the process (of creating), the less than shiny but still exciting part of what happens before they get to the performance.”
Danica Hoffart, a music instructor at RDC, says, “The money raised at the event is divided up between the performing and visual arts departments. It funds a whole bunch of the extras, is funnelled into different scholarships and funding things like moving lights for the theatre and paid for a whole piano lab for the music department.”
It also funds capital items that are really expensive and also enhances the student experience, or it goes straight into students’ pockets, she said.
“The event is tons of fun,” says Ravensborg. “People dress up and we’ve got appetizers and hors d’oeuvres in the lobby before the party. There’s a silent auction with lots of art from the Visual Arts program, student work, and you get a once in a lifetime opportunity to have dinner on the stage, that’s a big selling point for the event.
“So you eat a lovely, beautiful meal on stage, there’s a few short speeches about the importance of the event and the arts, then you go back out for desert and champagne. Out in the lobby there will be a live film shoot from the Motion Picture Arts department and then you come back into the theatre for the actual performance portion of the evening. There’s lots to look at, lots to see, lots of opportunities to purchase art. It’s just a great opportunity to celebrate the arts.”
Hoffart agreed, noting that the “up close and personal opportunities are kind of cool.
“It’s also a pretty neat chance to be right there, within two feet of a film shoot. There will be different performances of the music students in the lobby and there’s live artwork being created, you can see the progress throughout the evening. In other years it’s been more about the glitz and the glamour but this year we’re adding behind the scenes opportunities to see art in the making.”
Last year Affairs of the Arts raised over $62,000 and the money went towards a better learning experience for the students as well as providing scholarships and awards.
Tickets are going quickly, but are still available by phoning 403-357-3691 or checking out the RDC website at www.rdc.ab.ca
