Despite the completion of Phase I construction on the 100 and 200 blocks of State Street, bits of construction dust are still flying in the air.
Work on the Overture Center for the Arts continues with little more than a week left before the Grand Opening Festival Sept. 18. The Grand Opening festival will feature a number of large ticketed shows, with 130 free events throughout the opening week.
A number of the free events will showcase student performers and UW organizations.
An emphasis has been placed on performances in music, the arts, comedy and dance in order to draw in larger crowds and to meet their personal tastes, according to Overture publicist Tina Frailey.
“In just nine days we have over 130 events, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. There are so many to see,” Frailey said. “You could come weeknights at five o’clock and see all types of Chamber music, then stay and catch a jazz performance at six o’clock.”
Boxed lunches will be available during opening week for students if they want to stop by during class, she added.
“Come over and walk through the building, listen to some of the free events and wander around,” Frailey said.
UW junior Alicia Lux said she hopes to attend most of the grand opening events.
“The fact that there are a so many events the first week is really great,” Lux said. She noted many of the smaller spaces will feature local bands.
Lux, who studied in the School of Music, said she is excited to see so many local shows.
“I know a lot of the local bands here because they’re comprised of musicians and instrumentalists here on campus,” Lux said. “I’m looking forward to seeing them perform and utilize the new space.”
Lux said she will attend the Dave Brubeck Quartet Sept. 25, along with other events like Mama Digdown’s Brass Band and Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society, which features UW faculty members.
The Madhatters will perform Nov. 10 in Overture Hall along with an all-girl group — Ripchords — from the University of Illinois.
“We’re super excited. A couple of guys went and checked out the center,” UW sophomore and Madhatter Joe Salvo said.
Like last year’s sold-out Orpheum show, Salvo said he is pumped for the group’s fall performance.
“It will definitely help us to perform at Overture,” Salvo said. “It’s such a community place, and it can help attract a better audience.”
Student groups involved in the opening week include the UW Tuba Ensemble, UW Artists of the Future and the UW Varsity Band.
The 130 free events were scheduled to capacity, Frailey said.
“We were shocked at the amount of applicants who wanted to perform,” Frailey said. “We had hoped for maybe 50 performers, and then there were over 200 applicants who contacted us.”
Some of the ticketed events include the UW Varsity Band, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra with Art Garfunkel, the Madison Ballet, Opera and Symphony Orchestra.
The Overture Center will also feature Broadway shows such as Jesus Christ Superstar in November, Phantom of the Opera in January and Fiddler on the Roof in April.
Phantom of the Opera, with 32 scheduled performances, will be one of the largest events to hit Overture Hall in its opening year. Most venues can only book Phantom of the Opera for one or two nights, or eight at the most, Frailey said.
“This is the production that performs in London, New York and L.A.,” Frailey said. “It is the same set and the same size.”
Tickets for Phantom of the Opera will run from approximately $35 to $75. They will go on sale Oct. 2 at the Overture Center.