Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts

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The theater at Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts (view from the balcony); taken right before the 2004 annual Greenprint Address[5] by New York City Department of Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe

The Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts is the principal theatre of Pace University and is located at the University's New York City campus in Lower Manhattan. Facing City Hall near the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge and blocks from the World Trade Center, it provides art facilities to the university and the general public. The box office and theatre entrance are located on Spruce Street, east of Park Row, near the corner of Gold Street.

Named after Michael Schimmel, the Center features a 743-seat theater, one of the largest theaters in Lower Manhattan, and an art gallery that hosts an ever-changing roster of artists and photographers; the theater has a wide catalog of drama, dance, comedy, jazz, opera and even cabaret (Larry Keigwin's Keigwin Kabaret). Since September 2005, the Center has been home to the television show Inside the Actors Studio hosted by James Lipton. From 2002 through 2004, the National Actors Theatre, a theatre company founded by the late actor Tony Randall - dedicated solely to presenting classic works of theater and theatrical education delivered at no cost to the students or their schools, was housed at the Center. NAT productions at Pace featured such stars as Al Pacino, Len Cariou, Billy Crudup, Charles Durning, Roberta Maxwell, Chazz Palminteri, John Goodman, and Jeff Goldblum; and the Center was the site of Tony Randall's final performance, as the raisonneur Laudisi in a production of the Luigi Pirandello play "Right You Are." The theatre is and has been a venue for every season of both the Tribeca Film Festival and the Tribeca Theatre Festival; The center is also part of the River-to-River Festival, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and the.^[1]

Pace University theatre students present 22 plays and musical productions a year in theatres including the Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts.^[2]

Since 2002, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) holds regular public meetings at the Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts to discuss the future of Lower Manhattan and the World Trade Center. Most notably in January 13-14, 2003, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey held an unprecidented public meeting at the Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts unveiling the nine possible plans for the World Trade Center site and memorial. Televised on New York 1, the meeting was linked to Long Island and all five boroughs of the City of New York. New Yorkers had a chance to comment at any of six locations, broadcast simultaneously to each site; thousands more from around the globe participated online at the LMDC Website.^[3]

Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts, Main entrance. Spruce Street, New York, New York.

In September 2003, the Democratic Presidential Candidate Debate was held at Pace University's Schimmel Center.^[4] All ten declared Democratic candidates for the presidency, including the public introduction of Wesley Clark, debated at Pace University. Candidates were Wesley Clark, Howard Dean, John Edwards, Dick Gephardt, Bob Graham, John Kerry, Dennis Kucinich, Joseph Lieberman, Carol Moseley-Braun, and Al Sharpton.

In March 2005 - The Democratic Policy Committee of the United States Senate held the kick-off event of the National Social Security Tour at Schimmel. The town meeting style event, which was covered by C-SPAN, included senators such as Hillary Clinton, Byron Dorgan, Richard Durbin, John Kerry, Frank Lautenberg, Harry Reid, and Charles Schumer.

In 2006, New York State Governor George E. Pataki and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) will award $27.4 million in cultural enhancement grants to 63 Lower Manhattan arts organizations and projects. Pace University’s Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts was one of those 63 Lower Manhattan and was awarded $500,000. The funding will assist Pace in renovating the Schimmel Center to improve public and ADA access, enhance the art gallery, and improve theater space.^[5]

During the summer months of 2006, Pace University is hosting three New York state candidate debates and three town hall meetings^[6] to discuss campaign issues at the Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts, one block from City Hall, at Pace University in Lower Manhattan. The debates are moderated by political reporter/anchor,^[7] all events are broadcast live by NY1. The events are as follows: Democratic Debate for Governor of the State of New York,^[8] Republican debate for U.S. Senate, New York State Attorney General Town Hall Meeting, Democratic Debate for Attorney General of the State of New York, U.S. Senate Town Hall Meeting, New York State Governor Town Hall Meeting.

[edit] External links

[edit] Highlights

Main article: List of events held at the Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts

Click here to see a list of guests that have appeared on Inside the Actors Studio since its tapping at the Schimmel Center

November 2006 - Annual amateur night with Flavor Flav as celebrity guest host
September 2006 - Aftershock Conference, the 5th anniversary of 9/11, televised on NY1^[9] and C-Span^[10]^[11]^[12]
July - August 2006 - 2006 Debates and Town Hall Meetings: Democratic Debate for Governor of the State of New York, Republican debate for U.S. Senate, New York State Attorney General Town Hall Meeting, Democratic Debate for Attorney General of the State of New York, U.S. Senate Town Hall Meeting, New York State Governor Town Hall Meeting^[13]^[14]
April 2006 - Artist Juelz Santana
March 2005 - Artists Keisha Cole and Talib Kweli
March 2005 - Covered by C-SPAN live, the kick-off of the National Social Security Tour sponsored by the Democratic Policy Committee of the United States Senate^[15]
November 2004 - Annual amateur night with Ant as celebrity guest host
April 2004 - Artist Kanye West's School Spirit Tour, with Grammy Award Winner John Legend, Syleena Johnson, and violinist Miri Ben-Ari
April 2004 - An Evening with Tony Kushner
March 2004 - Annual Greenprint Address[6] by New York City Department of Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe
February 2004 - LMDC public hearing on Amended General Project Plan (GPP), WTC Memorial and Redevelopment Program
November 25, 2003 - Dec 21, 2003 - Right You Are by the National Actors Theatre starring Tony Randall
October 2003 - CBS Television crew used the Schimmel Theater to film commercials with supermodels Tyra Banks and Heidi Klum for the 2003 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show
October 2003 - Discovery Times Channel original documentary "New York Underground", with producer Roger Williams.
September 2003 - 2003 Democratic Presidential Candidate Debate^[16]^[17]
May 22, 2003 - Jun 22, 2003 - The Persians by the National Actors Theatre starring Tony Randall
February 2003 - Ashanti and Grammy in the Schools Careers in Music Program
January 2003 - Televised on NY1, LMDC and the PANY&NJ unveiled nine possible plans for the World Trade Center site and memorial
October 2002 - The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui by the National Actors Theatre starring Tony Randall, Al Pacino, Steve Buscemi, Dominic Chianese, Billy Crudup, Charles Durning, Paul Giamatti, John Goodman, Chazz Palminteri, and Linda Emond
September 2002 - New York State Governor George E. Pataki, New York City Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein, and New York City Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott held a press conference honoring the many teachers and administrators of New York City public schools in lower Manhattan who assisted and protected students at their schools during the events of September 11, 2001.
September 2002 - (LMDC) Public Meeting on WTC Rebuilding & Memorialization
May 2002 - Venue for the opening ceremony for the first Tribeca Film Festival, and one of the venues of its first films.
March 2002 - Mobb Deep and DJ Eddie Baez
October 2001 - Ceremony for the official launch of New York Campus Compact (NYCC)
April 2001 - Chamber music with New York Philharmonic and Judith Alstadter
September 2000 - United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) held public hearings on proposed rule amendments regarding auditor independence
August 1997 - American Ballet Theatre's Summer Intensive