Curtain will soon rise on SFCC Theatre

In only a matter of weeks, the community will get a firsthand look at the results of an 11-month renovation project that transformed the South Florida Community College Auditorium into the SFCC Theatre for the Performing Arts.

The west wing of Building A, which houses Cultural Programs staff on the Highlands campus, is now open, and a few remaining touches will complete the theater.

In early February, Sebring's Central Florida Glass and Mirror installed the glass panels on the porte-cochere, while Arcadia-based DeSoto Carpet and Tile laid the last remaining carpeting.

A final walk-through will take place in mid-February, according to Glenn Little, vice president of administrative services.

"After that, we just need to clean up around the outside," Little said. "Right now, it's mostly finished."

With that milestone in view, SFCC staff and theater patrons invite the community to join them for an afternoon of music, art, and socializing from 1-4 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 28.

Tours will be given with an emphasis on many of the theater's new features, including orchestra, box, and balcony seating, an improved backstage area, cast and star dressing rooms, the state-of-the-art control booths, the kitchen, and the three lobbies.

Celebration Brass, an upbeat ensemble of five brass musicians, will perform for guests in the porte-cochere. The Highlands County Concert Band will give a free concert from 2:30-3:30 p.m.

Neil Berg's "101 Years of Broadway" will be the first Artist Series performance in the new theater at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, March 1. The show features the hit music of "Phantom of the Opera," "Les Miserables," "Jekyll and Hyde," "Fiddler on the Roof," "Wonderful Town," and other Broadway classics.

To mark that occasion, local residents are getting the opportunity to sing with this group of veteran Broadway performers.

Contestants must create a 90-120-second video of themselves performing a Broadway tune and submit it to YouTube, MySpace, or Facebook. They must then visit www.singingwiththebroadwaystars.com, select Avon Park, complete an application, and provide a link to their video by Friday, Feb. 19. Full contest requirements are available at the Web site.

Tickets to Neil Berg's "101 Years of Broadway" range from $30-$40 and may be purchased at the SFCC Performing Arts Web site, http://performances.southflorida.edu/, by calling the SFCC Box Office at 784-7178, or by visiting the Cashier's Office, Building B, 600 W. College Drive, Avon Park, Monday-Friday, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.