Falls Area Performing Arts Center, located inside Oconto Falls High School, 210 N. Farm Road, Oconto Falls, will restart its community programming this month after being on a five-year hiatus.
The PAC has a long history of offering programming yearlong, but when the COVID-19 pandemic came to town, the PAC struggled to remain open.
“Prior to the high school locking down completely in 2020,” Gayle Gander, managing director, said, “the music and drama programs attempted to continue offering their students the opportunities to perform onstage.”
Eventually, the PAC had no choice but to discontinue its programming.
“It was soon discovered how difficult this was to do because of the COVID protocols. So, they went on hiatus with the rest of the building,” Gander said.
Since the opening of the PAC in 2002, the organization Friends of the Arts had been responsible for scheduling community programming, but the uncertainties of the pandemic caused even the organization itself to cease.
“The Friends of the Arts was disbanded and the doors to the PAC were closed,” Gander said.
A few years later, OFHS was under new management with a new principal who was interested in bringing back community programming. At a meeting, Gander was informed, much to his surprise, “Guess what? You’re the new Friends of the Arts.”
“The challenge was placed before me,” Gander said, “and I labeled it the Oconto Falls Fine Arts Series.”
This was no easy task for Gander, who already had a full schedule teaching high school English, theatre, and forensics.
“Booking events was a new area for me,” Gander said. “How do I bring something directly to Oconto Falls? It’s great for the community to have access to live performances of fine art at a closer, convenient proximity, but it’s not easy.”
After a couple years of hard work and many phone calls, it seemed as if Gander’s effort to secure programming was in vain.
“But as fate would have it,” Gander said, “I was contacted by the Wisconsin Arts Board.”
The Wisconsin Arts Board is a state agency which offers grants to community organizations based in counties that need help establishing community programming.
“They reached out to me since they had previously worked with the Friends of the Arts, and I applied for a grant,” Gander said.
The grant was awarded at the beginning of this year, and this enabled Gander to have some leverage in securing Oconto Falls Fine Arts Series’ first act.
“Through conversations and connections, I was able to secure ‘Alive Again: A Tribute to Chicago’ as our reopening event,” Gander said.
“Alive Again: A Tribute to Chicago” will perform at 2 p.m. Oct. 26.
Seats are general admission and priced by section at $35 and $25, respectively. Student tickets are also available for $10.
Tickets are currently on sale and can be purchased at the door or online at https://ofps.revtrak.net/pac-ticket-boxoffice. Proceeds from this performance will help bring in future programming.
“Since the PAC does not have a truly designated budget, ticket sales financially help with operations and securing future programming,” Gander said.
While future programming has yet to be lined up, the goal is to have a steady stream of performances throughout the year.
In the meantime, the OFHS drama team will be presenting “Anybody for Tea?” Nov. 14 at 4-8:30 p.m. This one-act play is a fundraiser event that includes a spaghetti dinner prior to the show.
nate.birr.news@gmail.com
