News Worthy

QCC Faculty & QPAC - Bring Lessons to Life!

Virtual programming has opened the door for an increase in classroom/cultural collaborations and pedagogical integration of the arts, with tremendous flexibility. You’re invited to participate in this ground-breaking new endeavor.

Introducing:
QPAC LIVE! 
FROM PAGE TO STAGE

Virtual reenactments of original classic novels, plays, classic comedy and dramatic radio episodes, historic speeches, etc. This is an ongoing series of educational presentations (done live and recorded for continued use). These renditions of great literary works would be available in perpetuity to English, Theater, Language and Media classes, among others. Any work of fiction can be researched, rehearsed, and presented.  Even historic speeches can be recreated. There is NO fee for this service. After the initial live presentation (and Q/A), these works can be utilized in the classroom over and over.  Special in-person live events can be accommodated for which classes can be invited.

During the height of the pandemic, QPAC achieved a great deal of success with three unique virtual “page to stage” presentations:

A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen introduced students to a live interpretation of this seminal work.
Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allen Poe, presented as a Halloween presentation, gave students a doorway into the world of Edgar Allen Poe
Dracula: The Original Radio Adaptation presented as part of the 125^th Anniversary Celebration Series of the Publishing of the Novel

SUBMISSION PROCESS:

• Requests for adaptations will be reviewed during the summer and winter hiatuses for the following semesters.
• Faculty can request specific works by sending an email to Susan Agin, Executive & Artistic Director (SAgin@qcc.cuny.edu).
• Assuming the availability of the material and copyright permissions, a performance/recording schedule will be submitted within two weeks following each proposal received.

Do not delay. We look forward to receiving your submissions, and in collaborating in this unique and useful way. You may email us at any time. SAgin@qcc.cuny.edu

The Boro of Queens has Spoken and Voted Queensborough Performing Arts Center “Best Theatre Arts Center”!

April, Bayside, N.Y.--For the second time, Queensborough’s Performing Arts Center (QPAC) has won the coveted Best of the Boro Award as the Best Theatre Arts Center in Queens! Best of the Boro, promoted by QNS.com, deemed QPAC ‘the place in Northeast Queens to watch top-notch talent on a stage.’

“It is quite an honor to achieve this award. It is recognition that, despite the challenges of Covid, indicates we have remained visible and able to serve the community, and that makes me enormously proud,” said Susan Agin, Executive and Artistic Director, QPAC.

“Of course, no one thought the pandemic would last this long, but what became clear to us very quickly is that we needed to stay engaged with our audiences. Within a week we were virtual, with live performances every single week.”

QPAC is also in the process of a major renovation. Agin says it was imperative to her that communities continue to be served prior to the opening of the new theatre. And so QPAC took the show on the road, with performances in theatres, in churches, in synagogues, and on other campuses.

Renovations to the theatre began before Covid and then, as with the rest of the City, everything came to a halt.

“It has been years since we have been in our own space. Now we are in the homestretch of the construction and anticipate an opening in mid-September.”

“It will be gorgeous! People will adopt the theatre as their own, as never before.”

Among the many new features of the 800-seat theatre will be box seats, concession stands, upgraded sound and lighting systems, accessibility accommodation and a larger box office to serve people outside as well as inside.

“People are not rushing back into Manhattan. They want something closer to home where the sense of community is palpable. We get to know our customers. They get to know us and have always felt we have their best interests at heart.”

And this includes Covid safety precautions. “We will function in much the same way as Broadway and follow their cues to adjust precautions, as necessary.”

Capacity will be full house, and proof of vaccination and masks will be required. Everything will be contactless when checking in and sanitizing stations will be provided. The theatre will be cleaned regularly between performances.

Right now, Agin is focused on launching the inaugural season, but she says they they continue to serve seniors in their centers and bring programs to local schools.

Once we re-establish our core programming, we hope to continue the wildly successful “Dancing in the Streets,” new programming which emerged as a result of the necessity to meet Covid safety guidelines.

In fact, this summer QPAC will hold four free outdoor concerts in Juniper Valley Park in Middle Village, Queens—two in June and two in July. Outstanding performers include Rubix Kube-The Eighties Strike Back Show! and tributes to both The Rolling Stones and Beatles.

Over the decades QPAC’s lineup has included some of the biggest names (and bands) in showbiz, including Michael Bolton, Bernadette Peters, Vanessa Williams, Brian Stokes Mitchell, KC & The Sunshine Band and Chita Rivera.

Agin pointed out that the inaugural QPAC season line-up will continue to evolve, and will be reflected on the QPAC website as artists confirm.

“We expect to have a sizable number of celebrities, thrilling tributes to iconic singers and bands, and as always, we will celebrate classic opera and ballet. The magic of live theatre at the best theatre arts center in Queens will be back very soon. I know our eager audience is waiting in the wings!”

QPAC Director Helps Theater Thrive During COVID-19, Renovations

While the Queensborough Performing Arts Center (QPAC) has been limited in its performances over the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic and renovations being done in the building, the center’s director, Susan Agin, has managed to continue holding events and drawing audiences by thinking outside the box.

In the early stages of the pandemic, Agin set up virtual performances for audiences to enjoy from their own home. When restrictions were eased, Agin set up outdoor events, which still continue as renovations continue to be done at QPAC. Agin was rewarded with her hard work when QPAC received the Best of the Boro Award for best theater arts center in Queens.

According to Agin, she’s very happy to be able to continue entertaining a large number of people and honored for QPAC to be named the best theater arts center in Queens.

“This is quite an honor to achieve this award,” Agin said. “It is recognition that, despite the challenges of COVID, QPAC has remained visible and able to serve the community and that makes me enormously proud.”

Agin has shown a quick ability to adapt. Almost immediately after everything shut down at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, she organized virtual shows on Facebook and YouTube for everyone stuck at home. This became the norm for events until restrictions were eased when the performances were then taken outside to the streets.

QPAC’s ability to produce star-studded live programming for audiences via Queens Public Television was a deciding factor for its Best of the Boro Award. This allowed people who were uncomfortable attending performances due to COVID-19 fears or vulnerable populations like seniors to still be able to enjoy the shows from the safety of their own homes.

Additionally, Agin has overseen the shows being taken on the road since the building has been undergoing renovations. Many shows have been performed outdoors as a result of this and as a means of diminishing COVID-19 concerns among attendees and performers. According to Agin, there were five drive-in open-air concerts performed last summer in Bayside.

“It’s thrilling that we were able to make that happen,” Agin said.

With renovations on the theater expected to be completed by mid-September, Agin is looking forward to utilizing the new features to create better experiences for attendees.

“We’ll be able to take it to the next level with accessible options, new aesthetics, improvement to the lighting and sound systems and new concessions,” Agin said. “It’s going to make our jobs easier and the experience that much better.”

According to Agin, her love of the performative arts stems from her early exposure to it at a young age. She had musicians in her family and became interested in music and dance.

“I saw the role arts played in people’s lives and that’s what hooked me further,” Agin said.

She also feels QPAC’s diverse and inclusive performers and programs do a good job of representing the diverse population that makes up Queens. Now she feels regular attendees have built up a familiarity with the venue and staff.

“We’ve found our customers have adopted us as their second home,” Agin said.

When the newly renovated theatre opens up in September, Agin already has a good idea of what the first performance there will be.

“We’re considering a lovely tribute to Ukraine to open up the season,” Agin said.

Jeff Simmons from It’s In Queens (@ItsInQueens) talks to Susan Agin, Executive Director of the Queensborough Performing Arts Center (QPAC). In this podcast, Jeff discusses the center’s triumph over the intricacies that COVID 19 has caused cultural organizations.