Spring Break
A new face for Whiting Auditorium
Vanessa Ferguson
Issue date: 9/13/02 Section: Local News
Whiting Auditorium located in the Flint Cultural Center welcomed Bryan L. Rives as its' new director on Sept. 3. It serves as a venue for a Showcase Series of performances each year, as well as, a center for local productions and events.
Rives, comes to Flint from the University of Missouri-St. Louis Performing Arts Center where he was the Executive Director. He also spent six years as the director at the IU Auditorium at Indiana University in Bloomington.
Prior to his move, Rives said, "My only knowledge of Flint was from 'Roger and Me.' When I came here I saw the obvious economic depression. However, the resources that were available here at the cultural center impressed me.
"We have things here that are typical of a major metropolitan area, it is great to me to be able to find a Midwest town with these resources."
Rives hopes to receive the community's input on everything that is offered at Whiting Auditorium.
"My process is to make sure that the entire community is involved. For example, when it comes to picking shows, instead of using a committee, I want to use surveys from our patrons and people in the community.
"Through that process we can build the community ties that will bring sold-out shows. We can also bring things that people would never expect in Flint."
His new job will entail a lot of responsibilities. He will oversee things such as the Showcase Series and the Joffrey Ballet Midwest Workshop each year. In addition, he is in charge of behind the scenes activities such as generating funding for shows, as well as serving as the public face for the Whiting Auditorium.
"Ultimately, my main job is getting the show on stage," said Rives. He also wants to implement educational programs at Whiting Auditorium.
"I've spent the majority of my career working on university campuses. There are always opportunities to create learning experiences for students. I am hoping to set up programs for internships and other opportunities.
"First, I want to see what the university's needs are and how we can reach out to them," said Rives.
Overall, Rives is hoping to make Whiting Auditorium more accessible to everyone in the Flint community.
"I literally want to have something for everyone. When people think of Whiting, I don't want them to think of a certain group. Of course, not everyone will like every event here, but I want them to be able to find something that they will enjoy."
Rives, comes to Flint from the University of Missouri-St. Louis Performing Arts Center where he was the Executive Director. He also spent six years as the director at the IU Auditorium at Indiana University in Bloomington.
Prior to his move, Rives said, "My only knowledge of Flint was from 'Roger and Me.' When I came here I saw the obvious economic depression. However, the resources that were available here at the cultural center impressed me.
"We have things here that are typical of a major metropolitan area, it is great to me to be able to find a Midwest town with these resources."
Rives hopes to receive the community's input on everything that is offered at Whiting Auditorium.
"My process is to make sure that the entire community is involved. For example, when it comes to picking shows, instead of using a committee, I want to use surveys from our patrons and people in the community.
"Through that process we can build the community ties that will bring sold-out shows. We can also bring things that people would never expect in Flint."
His new job will entail a lot of responsibilities. He will oversee things such as the Showcase Series and the Joffrey Ballet Midwest Workshop each year. In addition, he is in charge of behind the scenes activities such as generating funding for shows, as well as serving as the public face for the Whiting Auditorium.
"Ultimately, my main job is getting the show on stage," said Rives. He also wants to implement educational programs at Whiting Auditorium.
"I've spent the majority of my career working on university campuses. There are always opportunities to create learning experiences for students. I am hoping to set up programs for internships and other opportunities.
"First, I want to see what the university's needs are and how we can reach out to them," said Rives.
Overall, Rives is hoping to make Whiting Auditorium more accessible to everyone in the Flint community.
"I literally want to have something for everyone. When people think of Whiting, I don't want them to think of a certain group. Of course, not everyone will like every event here, but I want them to be able to find something that they will enjoy."
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Keady Wissmann
posted 6/21/09 @ 2:31 PM EST
I thank you for the opportunity to share a portion of my moments in time with future generations.
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