Misplaced Pages

#944055

41-610: Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts (originally known as the Wolf Trap Farm Park for the Performing Arts and simply known as Wolf Trap ) is a performing arts center located on 117 acres (47 ha) of national park land in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia , near the town of Vienna . Through a partnership and collaboration of the National Park Service and the non-profit Wolf Trap Foundation for

82-556: A multimedia set by Leo Kerz, choreography by Gemeze de Lappe, and musical direction by Johnny Green, the Cavalcade was a history of musical theater from The Beggar's Opera to Hair . Pat Nixon , wife of President Richard Nixon , attended the opening night performance and invited the entire cast afterwards to the White House for a reception. The first 12 seasons saw many performances and events of historical significance. In 1971,

123-412: A diverse range of art forms, genres, and cultures. With the assistance of the community, each year free tickets, gifts, and snacks are provided to nearly 2,000 Washington DC area children and their families who would otherwise be unable to attend. The International Children's Festival relies on over 3,500 volunteer hours from 700 volunteers from local corporations and service organizations. Volunteers for

164-571: A fire on March 13, 1971. On May 10, a benefit concert to cover the repair costs of around $ 650,000 was held at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. ; it featured Pierre Boulez conducting the New York Philharmonic Orchestra . The center opened on schedule on July 1, although the inaugural season opening was delayed one month. That summer, 60 young musical performers were chosen for training in music, dance and acting, to culminate in

205-458: A production at the center. On April 14, 1982, the Filene Center was destroyed by fire. A temporary structure was built on the park to house performances for the upcoming season. The second Filene Center, constructed between 1982 and 1984, is made of douglas-fir with a yellow pine ceiling. It includes a system to detect and suppress fire, as well as fire retardant wood, which all cost about

246-632: A programme of enabling access to wheelchair users and disabled individuals and groups. In the rest of Europe it is common among most art centres that they are partly government funded, since they are considered to have a positive influence on society and economics according to the Rhineland model philosophy. Many of those organisations started in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s as squatted spaces and were later legalized. Italy Palestine International Children%27s Festival at Wolf Trap [REDACTED] The International Children's Festival at Wolf Trap

287-549: A review of the setup by ethics officials within the agency, and the department agreed to conduct the review. Despite the concerns, the National Park Service signed a new agreement with the Wolf Trap Foundation on May 3, 2019, that continued to provide the secretary's eight tickets for each performance for twenty more years. A Park Service spokesperson said the department conducted an ethical and legal review and "it

328-475: A series of composers' cottages across the park, where performing artists could stay for a temporary period and peacefully work on their respective works. Although five cottages were planned, only one was ever built. The two-bedroom house was donated by Edward R. Carr Jr., a metropolitan area realtor, and built by Fairfax County Public Schools high school students; it was finished and dedicated in December 1973. During

369-696: A total of $ 1.7 million. The new amphitheater was also built with state-of-the-art sound and lighting equipment. It holds several hundred more patrons than the original Filene Center, provides better access for handicapped people, and adds backstage space for performers and crews. The main stage is 116 feet wide, 64 deep and 102 high. Set amid 117 rolling wooded acres, Children's Theatre in the Woods presents dozens of family-friendly shows each season from late June through early August. Shows have included music, dance, storytelling, puppetry, and theater, all recommended for children between kindergarten and 6th grade. Until 2010,

410-468: The Children's Theatre-in-the-Woods , whose performance venue is in the park. Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts organizes and runs several venues and facilities: The park's major indoor/outdoor performance venue is Filene Center, which can hold 7,028 in 3,800 seats under cover and space for another 3,200 to sit on the lawn. It is named for Shouse's parents, Abraham and Thérèse Lincoln Filene of

451-634: The Dumbarton Oaks Conference in 1944. In 1966, after several meetings with Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall , Mrs. Shouse donated 60 acres (24 ha) of Wolf Trap land, in addition to 38 acres (15 ha) from the American Symphony Orchestra League , to the U.S. Government , a donation Congress subsequently accepted that year. In a letter to Congress that year, Udall argued that Wolf Trap would "augment

SECTION 10

#1732851783945

492-526: The National Folk Festival was the first event at Wolf Trap to use the park grounds (versus Filene Center itself) for performances, and it set a precedent for other events at Wolf Trap to do the same. That same year, Richard Nixon became the first U.S. president to attend a Wolf Trap performance, viewing the Wolf Trap Company's performance of the "Musical Theater Cavacade" on August 12. In 1976,

533-835: The National Park Service . Proceeds from the annual festival support the educational programs and services of the Arts Council of Fairfax County. It is held annually in September, typically on the 3rd weekend of the month. By the end of 2011, it was decided to conclude the tradition, amid financial issues. The two-day weekend festival features many performers from several countries in musical and dance performances in four stages representative of their cultural heritage. The performers are dressed in traditional clothing and play many traditional songs which they dance to. Also featured are an Arts and Technology Pavilion with hands-on technology stations, international experiential tents where attendees can meet

574-633: The New York City Opera . Follow-up performances were conducted by National Symphony Orchestra , Choral Arts Society of Washington , United States Marine Band and the Madison Madrigal Singers. For the first several performances at the Filene Center, Robert Lewis , founder of the Actors Studio and acclaimed Broadway director , was chosen to conduct the training program and direct the production called Musical Theatre Cavalcade . With

615-512: The Bluecoat Society of Arts was founded in Liverpool in 1927 following the efforts of a group of artists and art lovers who had occupied Bluecoat Chambers since 1907. Most British art centres began after World War II and gradually changed from mainly middle-class places to 1960s and 1970s trendy , alternative centres and eventually in the 1980s to serving the whole community with

656-596: The Filene Center from May through September and year-round at The Barns at Wolf Trap, just outside the park proper. The Foundation also operates the Wolf Trap Opera Company , a resident company for young opera singers. The Foundation's education programs, also located next to the park proper, include the Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts, a nationally recognized college internship program, and

697-465: The Filene Center. During the rebuilding of the Filene Center between 1982 and 1984, Wolf Trap received $ 29 million in contributions and pledges from over 16,000 donors in 47 states and five foreign countries, including a $ 9 million grant from Congress and support from then-President Ronald Reagan and former Presidents Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter . WETA-TV also sponsored a star-studded, three-hour national telethon that raised more than $ 390,000 for

738-588: The International Children's Festival. The curriculum is directed toward fifth grade classes and is also available for home-school and private school programs. Each year since 1994, the Festival has been the designated fine arts field trip for the entire 5th grade population in Fairfax County Public Schools – resulting in over 13,000 students coming to Wolf Trap during the week to see and meet

779-652: The Meadow Pavilion, a covered outdoor stage adjacent to Children's Theatre in the Woods, hosted events for the International Children's Festival at Wolf Trap (known as International Children's Day from 1971 to 1974). Today, the Meadow Pavilion can be rented through the Wolf Trap Foundation. On March 6, 1980, a welder's torch ignited a fire at the Meadow Pavilion, causing around $ 10,000 in damage. Built from two restored 18th-century barns, this 382-seat theater holds performances between October and May. Shouse bought

820-510: The Performing Arts is a nonprofit organization founded by Catherine Filene Shouse when she donated her Wolf Trap Farm to the National Park Service. The Park is operated as a public/private partnership between the Park Service, which staffs and operates the park grounds, and the Foundation, which produces and presents the performance and education programs. The Foundation presents performances in

861-481: The Performing Arts, the park offers both natural and cultural resources. Its land was donated to the United States government by Catherine Filene Shouse , who sought to preserve her former farm as parkland. In 1966, Congress accepted Shouse's gift and authorized Wolf Trap Farm Park as the first national park for the performing arts. It was given its present name on August 21, 2002. The Wolf Trap Foundation for

SECTION 20

#1732851783945

902-570: The Scottish Military Tattoo, a Bicentennial gift from the United Kingdom , performed at the Filene Center for a capacity audience which included Britain's Prince Philip . Two years later, in 1978, the People's Republic of China 's performing arts ensemble made its first performance outside China when it entertained Wolf Trap's audience with acrobatic troupes and dancers. From 1971 until

943-558: The area with too many arts and music venues. Rep. George H. Fallon of Maryland, for example, opposed the Wolf Trap bill on the basis that it would "only have the effect of dividing a small market" and would be in "direct conflict" with the Kennedy Center and Merriweather Post Pavilion. Nevertheless, Wolf Trap became and remains the first and only U.S. National Park dedicated to the performance arts. With this collaboration, Mrs. Shouse became

984-596: The area, and bounties were granted for trapping them. An August 1739 survey by J.M. Warner mentions "Wolf Trap Creek," a branch of the Difficult Run tributary stream. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the land at Wolf Trap was frequently exchanged between wealthy families in the Fairfax area, including Bryan Fairfax , the 8th Lord Fairfax of Cameron and longtime friend of George Washington . In 1930, Catherine Filene Shouse acquired about 53 acres (21 ha) of land in

1025-525: The arts. The idea and impetus for the festival came from Joan C. Blair, also on the Fairfax County Arts Council. She convinced the founder of the Wolf trap National Park for Performing Arts, Catherine Filene Shouse , to support the festival. The International Children's Festival is sponsored by the Arts Council of Fairfax County in cooperation with the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts and

1066-471: The barns in upstate New York and had them moved to the current site in 1981 using the 18th-century "block and tackle" method of construction. The theater barn was originally built in 1780 and seats 285 on the threshing floor and another 98 in the hayloft. The gathering barn is of the Scottish style and features a kitchen, bar and atrium. Early records of Fairfax County, Virginia say that wolves would run wild in

1107-625: The early 1980s, the National Folk Festival was held annually at Wolf Trap. In the 1970s, WETA-TV produced the television series In Performance at Wolf Trap . Other highlights included Sarah Caldwell 's production of Sergei Prokofiev 's opera War and Peace , the Royal Ballet , Preservation Hall Jazz Band , the annual US National Symphony Orchestra 's 1812 Overture concerts with live cannons and Beverly Sills ' 1981 farewell appearance. In May 1971, plans were developed to construct

1148-447: The featured performers. The year 2001 was a particularly interesting year for the festival as thousands of students were en route to Wolf Trap when the events of September 11, 2001 took place. The Festival includes not only the featured international performers, but also dozens of Fairfax County and Washington DC metropolitan area arts organizations. In total, the festival features over 400 area performing and visual artists representing

1189-529: The first person to establish a partnership with the U.S. in bringing performing arts to the nation. Ground was broken for the construction of the Filene Center in 1968, and the next year, Wolf Trap held its first concert. A ceremony was held for the topping out of the Filene Center in May 1970, attended by then-First Lady Pat Nixon . The inaugural performance at Wolf Trap occurred on June 1–2, 1971, and featured Van Cliburn , Julius Rudel and Norman Treigle conducting

1230-594: The government of Saudi Arabia . Volunteers provided much of the labor to erect the structure. After the fire, the United States Postal Service issued a commemorative stamp honoring Wolf Trap on September 1, 1982. The stamp was the first in a series honoring Washington, D.C.'s cultural attractions, including the National Gallery of Art and the National Air and Space Museum . The first performance at

1271-659: The interior has for decades been given eight free tickets for every event at Wolf Trap by the Wolf Trap Foundation. This came to public light in a September 4, 2018, report by the Office of Inspector General for the Department of the Interior . The benefit was worth about $ 43,000 per year at the time of the report. The report raised ethics concerns about the tickets, since United States law generally prohibits government employees from receiving gifts. The inspector general's office recommended

Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts - Misplaced Pages Continue

1312-494: The international performers, learn the moves they saw on stage, and participate in craft projects to help them learn about international culture, and the Creative Kids Workshop featuring pavilions for hands-on arts projects and an instrument petting zoo. An educational curriculum co-developed by the Arts Council of Fairfax County and Fairfax County Public Schools supports the learning opportunities available to students at

1353-438: The newly designed and constructed Filene Center, titled the "Filene Center Dedication," occurred on June 20, 1984. The design work was accomplished by Dewberry and Davis, Joseph Boggs Studio, Architects. The new building featured state of the art fireproof design and acoustics. Attendees included opera star and frequent Wolf Trap performer Beverly Sills and then-Virginia Governor Charles Robb , as well as Mrs. Shouse herself. In

1394-456: The next five years, the composers' cottage hosted several noteworthy composers, including Lester Trimble , Irwin Bazelon and Elie Siegmeister . In 1979, however, a fire destroyed the composers' cottage, and it was never rebuilt. As Wolf Trap was preparing for its 12th season, tragedy struck once again. On April 4, 1982, a fire of undetermined origin, intensified by high gusting winds, destroyed

1435-470: The now-defunct department store chain Performances are given nightly from May to early September and cover a wide range of musical styles from country music to opera. The first Filene Center, constructed of Oregon redcedar , was a ten-story-high facility equipped with a computerized lighting system and sophisticated sound equipment. Just months before the theater was to open, it was partially destroyed by

1476-740: The park and recreation opportunities in the National Capital region and involve the expenditure of only a minimum of Federal funds." On May 28, 1966, Virginia Senator A. Willis Robertson introduced a bill to Congress to create and fund Wolf Trap, which passed with relative ease. Mrs. Shouse also offered over $ 2 million to construct the Filene Center for performances. Around the same time, the Kennedy Center and Merriweather Post Pavilion , two other nearby concert venues, were also being constructed, so there were some questions in Congress about overloading

1517-529: The reconstruction of the Filene Center. Almost immediately, the Wolf Trap Foundation, the park's non-profit partner, announced that a 1982 season would still take place in the Meadow Center, a huge tent erected in the nearby meadow. The prefabricated structure, purchased with private and government funds, was disassembled from its previous site in the United Arab Emirates and transported to Wolf Trap by

1558-748: The region and chose to preserve the name. By 1956, her holdings encompassed 168 acres (68 ha). Shouse bought Wolf Trap to offer her children a weekend retreat from their home in Georgetown , Washington, D.C. There they grew corn, wheat, alfalfa, and oats to feed their chickens, ducks, turkeys, and milk cows. They bred horses, built a stable and a hay barn, and opened a dog-breeding kennel, producing champion boxers , miniature pinschers , and Weimaraners . Shouse and her husband, Jouett Shouse , hosted large social gatherings for friends, family, and prominent public figures, including World War II Generals Omar Bradley and George C. Marshall and several members of

1599-696: The years running up to 2009, Wolf Trap hosted an average of 96 shows during its performance season, which runs from late May to early September. However, because fewer artists toured in 2009, Wolf Trap only held 86 performances and reported a revenue decrease of about ten percent. On September 24, 2011, in conjunction with National Public Lands Day and First Lady Michelle Obama 's Let's Move! campaign, Wolf Trap held its first annual "Let's Move with Music at Wolf Trap!" event. After touring for sixteen years in North America, Riverdance had its final U.S. performance on July 17, 2012, at Wolf Trap. The secretary of

1640-556: Was a youth-oriented festival dedicated to the performing, visual, and interactive arts. The festival is held each September at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts in Fairfax County, Virginia , which is the United States' only national park devoted solely to the performing arts. First conceived in 1971 as "International Children's Day", the festival provides opportunities for children to share aspects of their culture through

1681-589: Was confirmed that the tickets are government property and may be used by the Department for authorized purposes." 38°56′13″N 77°15′43″W  /  38.93694°N 77.26194°W  / 38.93694; -77.26194 Arts center In the United States , "art centers" are generally either establishments geared toward exposing, generating, and making accessible art making to arts-interested individuals, or buildings that rent primarily to artists, galleries, or companies involved in art making. In Britain ,

Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts - Misplaced Pages Continue

#944055