Dramatic and performing arts at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Encyclopedia
Carolina Performing Arts
Carolina Performing Arts is the name adopted by the UNC Office of the Executive Director for the Arts, the department responsible for the planning and promotion of the performing artsPerforming arts
The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
program, and for venues such as Memorial Hall, Historic Playmakers Theatre, and Gerrard Hall on the University's campus.
PlayMakers Repertory Company
PlayMakers Repertory CompanyPlayMakers Repertory Company
PlayMakers Repertory Company is the professional theater company in residence at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.-See also:Dramatic and performing arts at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill...
is the fully professional theater company of the UNC Department of Dramatic Art. The Company's seasons run from September to April and include both classical and contemporary performances, as well as ongoing educational programs.
Origins
The name of the Company is derived from the Carolina Playmakers, a theatre group at the University founded in 1918, who played a significant role in developing folk dramaFolk play
Folk plays such as Hoodening, Guising, Mumming and Soul Caking are generally verse sketches performed in countryside pubs in European countries, private houses or the open air, at set times of the year such as the Winter or Summer solstices or Christmas and New Year...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The modern "PlayMakers" was formed in 1978.
Memorial Hall
Graduation
Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the ceremony that is sometimes associated, where students become Graduates. Before the graduation, candidates are referred to as Graduands. The date of graduation is often called degree day. The graduation itself is also...
ceremonies. Planned as a memorial to former president David Lowry Swain
David Lowry Swain
David Lowry Swain was the 26th Governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina from 1832 to 1835.-Biography:Swain was born in Buncombe County, North Carolina; his father, George Swain, was a farmer and a member of the North Carolina General Assembly...
and alumni lost during conflicts such the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, the building was financed by sale of marble tablets dedicated in their name. However, in 1929, the structure was condemned as structurally unsound and demolished. The replacement Memorial Hall opened in 1931 with only the marble tablets retained. After an $18 million refurbishment between 2002 and 2005, the venue currently hosts music, dance, theater, and lectures by invited speakers.
Historic Playmakers Theatre
Historic Playmakers Theatre is a Greek RevivalGreek Revival architecture
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...
temple built in 1850, that was originally designed by New York architect Alexander Jackson Davis
Alexander Jackson Davis
Alexander Jackson Davis, or A. J. Davis , was one of the most successful and influential American architects of his generation, in particular his association with the Gothic Revival style....
as Smith Hall, a combined library and ballroom. After also being used as a laboratory, bath house, and law school, it became a theater in 1923. The Theatre is the perpetual home of the Carolina Playmakers, although their successor, the Playmakers Repertory Company, uses the Paul Green Theatre as their primary venue. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1971 and designated a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1973.
Paul Green and Kenan Theatres
The Paul Green Theatre is a modern 500-seat venue located within the UNC Center of Dramatic Art. Named for Pulitzer Prize-winning playwrightPlaywright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
and author Paul Green, the Theatre opened in 1978. Elizabeth Price Kenan Theatre is an extension to the main theater
Theater (structure)
A theater or theatre is a structure where theatrical works or plays are performed or other performances such as musical concerts may be produced. While a theater is not required for performance , a theater serves to define the performance and audience spaces...
with a capacity of 200.