The Hylton Performing Arts Center is excited to announce a significant gift by the Cecil and Irene Hylton Foundation! This support, combined with the success of the “Celebration of the Arts Alliance” event, will enable the Hylton Center to waive room and space rental fees paid by members of the Hylton Center Arts Alliance for 18 months, beginning September 2021.
Held on Thursday, May 6 at 7 p.m., the Celebration of the Arts Alliance was a digital presentation featuring special, live performances by members of the Hylton Center Arts Alliance; testimonials about the Alliance’s impact; and a live “Raise Your Paddle” fundraiser supporting the Arts Alliance through the Senator Charles J. Colgan Community Arts Fund. The Celebration of the Arts Alliance raised a total of $46,010 which, in addition to the gift by the Cecil and Irene Hylton Foundation, makes this fee waiver possible.
In addition to the support raised during the Celebration of the Arts Alliance, the Hylton Center is honored that the Cecil and Irene Hylton Foundation has made this significant gift in support of the Hylton Center and the Senator Charles J. Colgan Community Arts Fund. Between the support of the Hylton Foundation and the funds raised through the Celebration of the Arts Alliance, the Hylton Center will waive room and space rental fees paid by members of the Arts Alliance for 18 months based on the organizations’ typical seasons with the Center. This effort is designed to help alleviate some of the financial hardship that Alliance members have experienced due to canceled performances during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Hylton Center is thrilled to be able to support the arts in our community in this way, and grateful to the Cecil and Irene Hylton Foundation, and all of the donors from Thursday evening’s event, for making this possible!
The Arts Alliance includes some of the community’s most vibrant arts organizations, from volunteer to professional, and the Colgan Fund supports their work by enabling an affordable cost structure to ensure these artists can continue to bring this wealth of talent to our Hylton Center stages.
All proceeds from the May 6 event supported the Senator Charles J. Colgan Community Arts Fund. This fund has been in place since the Hylton Center opened and ensures that Arts Alliance organizations are able to perform at the Hylton Center at greatly reduced rates, making the creative capital of this region accessible for all. This fund is named in honor of the community’s great champion - the late Senator Charles J. Colgan - who worked tirelessly to promote this region’s artists, arts educators, and specifically, the Hylton Center - in the state legislature.
“For our father, helping to develop George Mason’s Prince William Campus was a ‘labor of love’ and with that came his love for the development of the Hylton Center,” shared Ray Colgan. “A fighter for public education, our father knew that the arts were an integral part in the development of a young person’s education and a building block on one’s journey for a complete life. He knew that no community could be whole without a place for those artists to show their craft, and the Hylton Center does that.”
Meet the Hylton Center Arts Alliance:
Arts Partners:
Asaph Dance Ensemble
Manassas Ballet Theatre
Manassas Chorale
Manassas Symphony Orchestra
Prince William Little Theatre
The Creative and Performing Arts Center (CAPAC)
Youth Orchestras of Prince William
Arts Affiliates:
ARTfactory Pied Piper Theatre
Northern Virginia Ballet
Old Bridge Chamber Orchestra
Real Life Productions, LLC
Virginia National Ballet
Learn more about the Hylton Center Arts Alliance and ways to support this talented group of arts organizations. For questions about the Arts Alliance, please contact Susan Landess at slandess@gmu.edu.
Hear from the Hylton Center Arts Alliance about the creative ways their organizations thrived during the pandemic: