Darke County Center for the Arts 2020-2021 VISION season is not looking at all like what we began planning almost a year ago. The uncertainty and health and safety restrictions we hoped would be temporary are becoming part of our everyday lives, with no end in sight. Since the time we were last able to present live performances our staff has been keeping up with the ever changing state of what we can’t do, but also more encouragingly, working to secure and move forward with presentations that we can safely provide to our patrons.

By now, many of us have participated in a Zoom meeting and/or virtual show and we realize that virtual only partially fills the void that we are all feeling in this lack of live performances and social gatherings.  There is just no substitute for hearing an orchestra or artist playing and singing live or the social aspect that allows us to gather and mingle, as a community, in our beloved St. Clair Memorial Hall. However, for now, virtual performances are certainly better than no performances.

Behind the scenes, contracts for Artists Series programs have been cancelled for the first time in over 40 years and we do not know when we will be taking the stage at St. Clair Memorial Hall; still we are excited to share that as we have done, annually for the past 23 years, DCCA continued to present professional performing artists for every Darke County public school student. Working with Darke County school administrators and the artists we contracted back in February, we presented an adaptive form of our traditional Arts In Education programming available virtually, at no cost to students or schools. Participating artists included Moxie Strings (High School), Shaun Johnson Big Band Experience (Grades 7-8), along with Ohio Artists Robert Post (Grades 4-6), and Zak Morgan (Grades K-3).

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Starting February 2021 DCCA’s Family Theatre Series returns in a Virtual format featuring three presentations from Virginia Repertory Theatre. The series opens February 1 with Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad, continues with Jack and the Beanstalk, available beginning March 1, and The Little Red Hen streaming from April 1; all three musical plays will remain available through June 30 at no cost to viewers.

In addition, we presented a Never-Before-Seen Holiday Virtual Event featuring the Emmy Award winning Tonic Sol-fa and the Shaun Johnson Big Band Experience on December 3rd, 2020. 

    Your generosity has been greatly appreciated.  In fact, you deserve a standing ovation for your ongoing support.  Thank you! Although our expenses have declined, we still must plan for what lies ahead, and artists’ fees, administrative costs and operating expenses are a constant reality. Ticket sales account for only approximately 25% of our total annual revenue; your donation helps cover the remaining costs. Continuing the proud legacy of our founders, we want to be at the forefront of presenting quality entertainment for all ages in a manner and at a time when it is safe to do so for our patrons, performers, & staff. When the curtain goes up DCCA will be ready!

 

                                                  

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​The DCCA Office in the Greenville Public Library is currently closed until further notice.

 

For more information, you can reach the DCCA Office at dcca@darkecountyarts.org or (937) 547-0908.