Column: That's a wrap on Constellation Stage & Screen's first season
On June 25, Constellation Stage & Screen closed the curtain on its inaugural season, marking its first successful year of providing theatrical productions, film, and visual arts to the Bloomington community.
Constellation Stage & Screen was formed on July 1, 2022, from the merger of the Bloomington Playwrights Project, Cardinal Stage, and Pigasus Institute, and plays a vital role in the arts of Bloomington through its operation of the John Waldron Arts Center under a contract with the city. However, despite the fact only 40% of Constellation funding comes from earned income, Constellation receives very little public funding: a small amount to operate the visual arts gallery in the Waldron and the city’s maintenance of the major structural elements of the building itself.
One of Constellation’s big successes in its first year was raising nearly $1 million in private donations to renovate the Waldron and sufficient funds to cover the additional $120,000 per year it costs to maintain the interior of the Waldron.
The Waldron is not just home to Constellation, it serves the Bloomington arts community broadly. It hosted 24 arts events, comprising 121 individual performances and special events, and bringing in about 21,000 visitors — a huge boost to the arts and the downtown economy. Besides Constellation’s own shows, other events included plays from the Jewish Theater of Bloomington, Stages Bloomington, and Teatro VIDA, the Bloomington Gallery Walk, the Mayor’s 2023 State of the City Address, the Community Foundation’s grant award ceremony, and independent showcases from local comedians and filmmakers.
Looking ahead, Constellation is thrilled to continue to connect audiences through world-class theater and film. Constellation’s 2023-24 theatrical season opens with Holmes and Watson, which performs Sept. 7-24 at the Waldron Arts Center. Details on Constellation’s upcoming season can be found at https://seeconstellation.org/events/
Constellation thanks and celebrates board members departing its board at the end of June: Bob Arnove, Tania Gardner, Ana Maria Brannan, Evan Martin, Rob Shakespeare, Stephanie Topolgus, Alyce Zollman, and Amy Jackson. We also honor board member Eric Benson, who passed unexpectedly on Christmas Eve 2022. We are delighted to announce new board members joining Constellation in July of 2023 are: Anna Jensen, Erin Parks, Brian Hathaway, Traci Jovanovic, Vi Simpson and Kim Van Lue.
Chad Rabinovitz is managing director and Kate Galvin and Gabe Gloden are artistic directors for Constellation Stage & Screen.