Be a pART of it...Seriously by George McLeer, Executive Director of Mauldin Cultural Center

The word “engagement” has become a buzz word in the arts world. Organizations tout it as a core part of their programming and experts declare it a necessity for any arts performance/exhibition. ”You need to engage the audience,” is what they all say.

Well there’s a reason – for arts organizations, engagement doesn’t mean pure attendance, it means understanding and support. And we here at the Mauldin Cultural Center have taken “engagement” seriously as we planned out our new programs which we announced last week – we’ve even incorporated “engagement” into our very being – our slogan, “be a pART of it“.

Our three new programs for 2012 – theatre on the side, Railroad Concert Series, and START HERE – are rooted in our want to be a truly community-based organization. We’re not here to just put on some shows and show some artwork. We’re here to change the community for the better. In fact our mission statement puts “enhancing the quaility of life Mauldin” as the ultimate goal, by using the arts.  But to make an impact on the community, we have to rely on what makes up the community – its people…YOU.

“be a pART of it” is much more than just a slogan to us. It is the guiding principle behind all that we do here at the MCC. It reminds us constantly that we are a part of the community and that the community is a part of us. To every community member, we hope that you see it as a call to action. We not only need you to be a part of our organization, we really do WANT you to be a part of it. We’re not joking. For an example, this is how we came up with our new programming.

The Railroad Concert Series sprouted out of our Summer Concert Series. The concerts are all focused on making quality music and quality musicians a part of the Mauldin community. We believe that you shouldn’t NEED to travel more than 20 minutes to experience quality music. But beyond that, we wanted to highlight some of the immense talent that is already a part of Mauldin. Every single band performing in our Winter & Spring concerts are already members of our Upstate community. They live next door to us and eat at the same places we do. While we will be bringing some bands in from around the region/nation/world (just wait till you see our first summer show…yeah, we’ve already booked it…no, we’re not telling you), our focus is bringing Mauldin together to enjoy great music.

START HERE, our arts education program, is entirely community-based. All of our teachers live in Mauldin or neighboring cities. Our previous students have all been involved in Mauldin some way or another. All of our teachers have had experience teaching their respective art form all over the country and have chosen to make their next mark at the MCC. Our classes are open to everyone, regardless of whether you live in Mauldin or Alaska, but we’ve started this program for Mauldin.  It is very important to us to have teachers from Mauldin and the surrounding area since it is the Mauldin community they will be instructing.

theatre on the side, our dinner theatre series, was started because, well everyone told us we should do it! You all asked for it, so we’ve given it to you! But beside the fact that this program was one of the most requested programs (even from our competitors who can’t do dinner theatre in their facilities), we wanted to make sure we kept it rooted in Mauldin. Every production will feature local actors, dinner from a Mauldin restaurant and will be performed in the same room many previous performances were given in Mauldin over the 75 year history of our facility. But we’re not forgetting our role in bringing quality art to Mauldin – all of our plays are unique and compelling and cover issues not addressed in your typical production of “Annie” or Shakespeare. All of our productions are focused on themes that are complex in nature and are meant to highlight the nature of a community rather than paint a picture of a fantasy land. Our first show for instance is about a childhood friendship and what happens when adulthood and reality collide with youthful expectations (not your typical plot line). While our summer show will be specifically for children and by children, our first show in 2012 and our fall show for 2012 (again..yes, we’ve chosen it…no, we’re not telling you) are perfect examples of how we look to impact the community.

And we’ll do all of this while making it affordable to the Mauldin community. Our classes are all $100 and under (many for just $10/hr or less) and our performances (dinner & special seating excluded) are FREE!

Through our new programs, we look to prove that we are truly a pART of the Mauldin community.  But that doesn’t mean you’re off the hook just yet.

We want to make sure that YOU play a part in all of this. It’s easy for you to do! At the very least, come to a performance or take a class. The best way to be a pART of our organization and your community is to pARTicipate. Join us for one or all of our new programs.  And if you want win a special place in our heARTs, consider making a charitable donation to us. We want to keep our prices low and our quality high, but that takes money.

We’re here for you guys, and we hope you’ll be there for us.