Bringing back the PAC

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INDIANAPOLIS — That Ted Jacobs and Amanda Greene make a good team at the Warren Performing Arts Center should surprise no one. The two have known each other since Greene was a student from 2006 to 2010 at Greenfield-Central High School. Jacobs was formerly in charge of the Greenfield-Central drama department while Greene was a four-year member of the drama club, running tech, acting or working backstage.

The duo are now working together — Jacobs as executive director of the Warren Performing Arts Center and Greene as technical theater director — in the vocation that has been a major part of their lives.

A large part of Jacobs’ involvement is booking entertainment for the Warren Performing Arts Center, including the rebranding of the facility to simply “The Warren.”

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Built in 1983, the Warren Performing Arts Center was a state of the art facility designed to accommodate educational programs, the visual arts and the performing arts. Located at 9500 E. 16th St., the auditorium was built not only as an educational facility, but for the arts community as well, as a place to host touring performance groups.

“It was the Palladium of its day,” Jacobs said.

In spite of a history of professional productions, The Warren hit a low point last season with just two professional shows that drew fewer than 200 audience members.

For the 35th anniversary of the facility, Jacobs has aspirations of turning that around with a full season of music and dance.

“I’ve planned on blowing out the stops in terms of what groups we’re bringing in,” Jacobs said.

Playing Sept. 14, “One Night in Memphis” blends music and theater to recreate the night that Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley were all in the Sun Records recording studio.

“Artrageous!” takes the stage on Sept. 20 for an evening of collaborative creativity between artists, dancers, musicians and singers.

The schedule also brings back the Ball State University Singers on Nov. 16, Indiana University’s Singing Hoosiers on Jan. 25, 2019, and the Purdue Varsity Glee Club on March 31, 2019.

“I tried to create a season that brings back some of our patrons’ perennial favorites,” Jacobs said, “while at the same time bringing in genres of music that have a broad crowd appeal.”

Jacobs and Greene voice confidence in The Warren’s location near the I-70/Post Road interstate access as a factor in its success.

“It’s hard to have an excuse not to go,” Greene said.

Each has a favorite in The Warren’s upcoming line-up of shows. Greene looks forward to seeing how Artrageous combines visual arts with performing arts, while Jacobs is thrilled that the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir’s Festival of Carols — which normally performs at the Palladium in Carmel — has added a concert at The Warren to its schedule.

Jacobs has stepped up The Warren’s marketing presence as well with advertising, phone calls, ticket giveaways and a social media blitz. In addition to commercials on radio stations Q95 and WIBC, Jacobs has made live appearances on both stations, and has a television news appearance in the works.

Jacobs and Greene are also working to reach out to the community. Part of the goal is to make sure the 16 schools within the Warren Township school district — including the Early Childhood Center — all have an opportunity to perform at least once during the school year in the auditorium. Another aspect of the outreach focuses on the community. Currently on The Warren’s event schedule are the Indianapolis Fire Department graduation ceremony, Indianapolis Police Department training sessions and a United Way of Central Indiana fundraiser.

Greene particularly appreciates the willingness of the professional touring shows in working with her theater tech students. Students are employed and paid to work side-by-side with professionals on lights and sound or backstage as part of the crew.

There is no doubt the two are both in their element. Hired in 2016, Greene manages the technical aspects of the facility, helps the students build sets and run lights and sound. In addition, she teaches two classes of technical theater to Warren Central students.

Jacobs was hired in the fall of 2017. He credits Greene tipping him off to the job opening and for helping him to acclimate to his new surroundings.

In turn, Greene credits Jacobs’ influence in her decision to be a theater teacher.

“It’s a fun, full circle,” Jacobs said. “Seeing her as a student, then seeing her stay involved in theater, and then to see her come from being a student to a colleague.”

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The Warren is located at 9500 E. 16th St., Indianapolis

The Warren’s performance schedule:

Sept. 6 – FACE vocal band

Sept. 8 – Decades Rewind

Sept. 9 – Pops on Pipes

Sept. 14 – “One Night in Memphis”

Sept. 20 – Artrageous! Interactive Music and Art Experience

Sept. 21 – Sinatra Forever

Oct. 15 – Catapult

Nov. 16 – Ball State University Singers

Dec. 9 – Indianapolis Symphonic Choir’s Festival of Carols

Jan. 22 – Lula Washington Dance Theatre

Jan. 25 – Indiana University’s Singing Hoosiers

March 31 – Purdue Varsity Glee Club and Purduettes

Visit warrenpac.org for ticket information.

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