BDN previews Collins Center for the Arts season, opening gala
The Bangor Daily News advanced the 2016–2017 season of the Collins Center for the Arts at the University of Maine. The season is slated to feature everything from Broadway musicals to chamber music to world-class dance, comedy and more, according to the article. The season kicks off with the CCA’s annual gala featuring “The Capitol Steps: What To Expect When You’re Electing,” a musical political comedy, at 8 p.m. Sept. 17. The event also features an opening party at 5 p.m. including the rededication of the “Flame of Inspiration” sculpture. The BDN also published an article about Esther Rauch, a Maine educator who will be honored during the gala for her work promoting opera and the performing arts. Rauch will be presented the 2016 Wilma Award, given by the CCA to an individual or business for contributions to the center and the promotion of cultural activities in Maine. In 2014, Rauch was among a group of fellow opera enthusiasts that launched the Collins Opera Outreach Committee, according to the article. During the week before each scheduled performance of The Met: Live in HD at the CCA, a member of the group leads a free, 90-minute discussion of the featured production at three different sites in Greater Bangor, the article states. WABI (Channel 5) also spoke with Danny Williams, executive director of the CCA, about the upcoming season.