CSU Monterey Bay World Theater

About

The World Theater at California State University, Monterey Bay is a 457-seat performing arts facility located in Seaside, California. The venue houses a professional live entertainment program, campus events and student productions, and concerts by local community groups.

The World Theater was renovated from a historic 900-seat movie theater built about 50 years ago for the soldiers stationed at the U.S. Army's Fort Ord. The theater was named, the Hansen, after the 7th Infantry Division was reactivated at Fort Ord in the 1970's. Jack G. Hansen was a member of the 7th Infantry Division and received the Congressional Medal of Honor during the Korean War.

In the late 1990's, as CSU Monterey Bay continued to develop and adapt buildings at the former military base for academic purposes, the Hansen was radically remodeled as a multi-use theater, and opened in 1999 with a concert by jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater.

MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of the World Theater is to educate and to enlighten our campus and surrounding communities through the creation and presentation of diverse performing arts events. To achieve this commitment, we will share our resources and create partnerships that support academic programs at CSU Monterey Bay and the needs of the diverse communities we serve.

PERFORMING ARTS SERIES
The Performing Arts Series brings professional performing artists to Monterey county to provide education and entertainment services to CSU Monterey Bay and its surrounding communities. Since its inception in February 2002, the presenting program has hosted live concerts with artists specializing in world, contemporary and jazz music, dramatic theater, film, and dance. In addition to concerts, World Theater performing artists also provide services to our constituents based on their needs (educational programs for children and college students, fundraising activities, workshops, informal discussions, lecture/demonstrations, etc).

The World Theater serves an important role in the performing arts industry by providing opportunities for artists to create new work. Since February 2002, the World Theater has co-commissioned three new pieces. Past presentations include: Kronos Quartet, ODC San Francisco, Lila Downs, Chitresh Das Dance Company, Ethos Percussion Group, Perla Batalla, Ronald K. Brown/Evidence, Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano, Paul Taylor Dance Company, and the Turtle Island String Quartet, among others.

ARTISTIC STATEMENT/PHILOSOPHY
Our goal is to connect and to engage audiences and artists in the sharing of a common experience. We seek to create artistic experiences that enlighten, entertain and educate. To that end, artistic decisions are based on the following:

We are interested in art that speaks through and for different cultures. We respect diverse points of view and we are committed to supporting the creation and presentation of work that reflects our changing world and experiences. We believe that support and respect for diverse art forms is crucial in educating our audiences and understanding ourselves.

We are interested in exploring new ways and using new technologies in the creation, presentation and dissemination of the performing arts. The World Theater is a state-of-the-art facility, and we welcome the opportunity in sharing our arts experiences with communities around the world.

We are interested in and respect art that honors the past while speaking to present day community. While we may support "classic" arts presentations, we are most interested in those artists whose interpretations of previous masterworks shed new light and open new avenues for a contemporary audience.

The presentation of performing arts events is a strategic and carefully crafted process, guided by the principles listed above. Our dream is to create experiences for audiences that have an important and lasting effect and improve the quality of life.

VALUE STATEMENTS
We value education. We learn from our interaction with our students, faculty, staff and audiences. We apply what we learn to all aspects of our organization, as we continue grow and to become an important fabric within our university and surrounding communities.

We value collaboration. We recognize that we cannot succeed by ourselves. Our work is better and of greater depth when we share our resources and actively collaborate with others.

We value quality. We are focused on achieving excellence in everything we do. We set high standards for ourselves, compare ourselves to other nationally and internationally recognized organizations and strive to meet those standards.

We value innovation and risk. We support an environment where creation, risk-taking, integration of new technologies and dynamic discussion can flourish. While we research, analyze and evaluate, we challenge ourselves to move boldly into new territory. We strive to be a leader and to set examples for others.

We value accessibility. We support an environment that is welcoming, safe and open for all diverse peoples. We challenge ourselves to consistently demonstrate this through our actions as well as through our words.

We value inclusiveness. We treasure diversity, in it fullest definition, by actively seeking and respecting the thoughts, ideas and cultures from various communities. We recognize that we have much to learn from all cultures.

We value community engagement. We welcome the opportunity to partner with diverse community groups and to bring arts programs to non-traditional spaces. We are committed to creating programs that actively address the needs of the communities we serve.

We value the passion and the power of the arts. We acknowledge that we are engaged in work that has the power to move people and to change lives. We want to make a difference in our world with our programs and we welcome the opportunity to support the artistry of diverse arts practitioners.