Cal Poly Arts will bring various performance genres to the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center (PAC) during its 2024 season. From classical music to break dance, this season’s repertoire will feature something for everyone to enjoy, even those who would not consider themselves performing art fans.
About Cal Poly Arts
Director of Cal Poly Arts Molly Clark oversees the curation of the performing arts season as well as the operations of the organization. Clark spends a lot of time scoping out talent to present on the Cal Poly stage.
“We want to bring artists that resonate with our campus communities: students, staff and faculty. But it’s not a campus-only program, it’s a program that’s for the general public, as well,” Clark said. “It’s striking that balance between what we think will have appeal to our campus community as well as the broader San Luis Obispo community.”
Clark explained how the ability to share diverse performances is powerful in broadening the public’s horizons.
“We have the privilege to represent on our stages all different sorts of artistic practices, identities and cultures. We try to make a concerted effort to represent as many different voices as possible with the hopes that everyone in our community, no matter who they are, can find some kind of representation on our stage,” Clark said. “It’s really important to expose our audience to different cultures and to different artistic practices. The arts can be a very powerful tool in building empathy and understanding.”
Not everything needs to be a learning experience for the audience, though, as Cal Poly Arts offers plenty of fun performances that offer a break from everyday stressors.
“It’s entertainment, it’s joyful, it doesn’t have to be super deep all the time. But I think the true power of the arts is it has the ability to transform people’s minds, opinions or even just what they like artistically,” Clark said. “I really encourage students to check it out, try something new and make Cal Poly Arts part of their social experience on campus.”
Upcoming events
On March 3, the highly acclaimed STOMP took the PAC stage. This eight-member group combines dance and percussion music in high-energy performances, and this event is almost sold out.
On March 8 at the PAC, the Queen’s Cartoonists played classical and jazz music in sync with old cartoons, tying music and comedy together.
Cal Poly Arts will host The Concert Truck, where a 16-foot box truck is placed into a mobile concert hall. The group will bring its free concerts to San Luis Obispo County from March 16-17.
On March 19, Ladysmith Black Mambazo is coming from South Africa to Cal Poly. People may know the choir from its collaboration with Paul Simon in his famous album “Graceland.”
On April 9, Bruce Hornsby and yMusic will be performing on campus. Hornsby, a three-time Grammy award-winner widely known as one of the great pianists of pop music, is joining forces with the genre-crossing indie classical group yMusic.
On April 26, Small Island Big Song, a music collective of Indigenous musicians representing Pacific Islander nations, will be at the PAC. This group has come together to bring awareness to climate change and its effect on coastal cultures through their music, dance and multimedia.
The Cal Poly Arts events page currently has several sold-out Broadway shows and tickets for these events often go quickly, Clark said. Clark encourages all who are interested in these high-demand shows to keep a close eye on the organization’s social media announcements.
Additional information
For most performances, Cal Poly Arts offers discounted ticket prices to students, although there are some exceptions to this rule due to certain contracts and logistics, according to Clark.
Every year, Cal Poly Arts employs several paid student production assistants who work behind the scenes. These students set up and take down hospitality for artists and ensure their requests are satisfied.
They may also assist in selling artists’ merch and setting up the lobby with welcome signs. They can also run errands for performers, like driving them to the venue or picking up supplies.
Cal Poly Arts has offered marketing positions to students, as well. Clark encourages anyone interested in working in arts administration to swing by her office in the Science Building (Building 52). She said her door is always open to interested students.
Upcoming events and opportunities can be found on Cal Poly Arts’ Instagram and website.
