On Thursday, May 16, the South Orange Performing Arts Center will present three events showcasing the cornerstones of its programming: professional artists on the Mainstage, the next generation of artists in the Herb + Milly Iris Gallery, and the community supporting all arts in the Loft. This trifecta of events will bring everyone from SOPAC’s community together for one evening to support the artists of today and tomorrow!
Comedian Liz Glazer anchors the evening on the Mainstage Liz Glazer Records A Special at SOPAC, beginning at 7:30PM. Glazer, a South Orange resident and hilarious lawyer-turned-comedian, is the first comedian EVER to record a comedy special at SOPAC! Tickets range from $29-45 and can be purchased here.
The best and brightest painters, photographers, sculptors, and visual artists from high schools throughout Essex County will gather in the Herb + Milly Iris Gallery on SOPAC’s second and third floors to celebrate the Opening Reception of the annual INSPIRED MINDS: Young Artist Exhibition, beginning at 5:00PM. With this professional gallery experience for young artists, SOPAC aims to foster the next generation’s creative voices. Admission is free, RSVP here.
All SOPAC supporters, members, patrons, and community partners are invited to this one-night-only in-person viewing of its Spring Auction items in the Loft, beginning at 5:30PM! The funds raised at this event will go towards bringing world-class performers (like Liz Glazer!) to the stage, fostering the creative visions of young artists (like INSPIRED MINDS), and strengthening arts education programs throughout the community. There are two ways to participate in the auction.
Date: Thursday, May 16th
Location: SOPAC – One SOPAC Way, South Orange, NJ 07079
Times:
5:00pm – Opening Reception of the annual INSPIRED MINDS: Young Artist Exhibition
This juried exhibit features art by Essex County high school students. FREE & OPEN TO PUBLIC
5:30pm -One night only on view Spring Auction items in the Loft. FREE & OPEN TO PUBLIC
7:30pm – Comedian Liz Glazer anchors the evening on the Mainstage Liz Glazer Records A Special at SOPAC,
ABOUT SOPAC SPRING AUCTION
SOPAC invites all supporters and arts lovers to this one-night-only in-person viewing of its Spring Auction items! Running from Monday, May 13 to Sunday, May 19, SOPAC’s first digital auction gives supporters, members, patrons, and community partners a unique way to raise crucial funds and make meaningful impact.
This evening event will include live music, food, conversations with fellow philanthropic arts lovers, and the opportunity to win spectacular prizes.
All participants in this auction, whether virtually or in-person, will help SOPAC reach its fundraising goal and further its mission to transform lives through the arts while winning prizes and unique experiences.
ABOUT INSPIRED MINDS: YOUNG ARTIST EXHIBITION
The South Orange Performing Arts Center presents the best and brightest in various series of visual art exhibitions in the Herb + Milly Iris Gallery at SOPAC. As a regional arts center, we are dedicated to nurturing and enriching the next generation with unique arts programs. To that end, INSPIRED MINDS: Young Artist Exhibition is a celebration of young artists.
Every high school in Essex County is invited to participate. The Young Artists Exhibition showcases visual arts by recognizing and fostering the artistic talents of high school students while their families, friends, and teachers celebrate and encourage their creative work.
Selected students enjoy a fully professional experience from juried selection, installation, an Opening Reception, exhibition, and in some cases, sale of their artwork. Through this effort, we hope to represent the diversity of high school art students in Essex County.
Providing opportunities for emerging artists was the passion of the Gallery’s namesake, Milly Iris. Coupling those opportunities with education is at the core of SOPAC’s mission. It is vitally important that we recognize arts education as valuable and that we nourish young artists and validate their achievements. We are delighted to offer our participating artists the chance to present their work in a professional exhibition.
ABOUT LIZ GLAZER
A South Orange resident, Glazer has been doing comedy for ten years. And before that she was a tenured law professor for nine! She recorded her first comedy album, A Very Particular Experience, at two sold out headlining shows at the New York Comedy Festival. It debuted at #1 on the iTunes Comedy Charts for six consecutive days and was featured in The New York Times. Glazer is a recent first place winner of both the Boston Comedy Festival and the Ladies of Laughter Competition, and she opens for comedians such as Maria Bamford and Judy Gold. She has been on NBC’s The Blacklist, BULL on CBS, and ABC’s For Life. Glazer’s comedy draws on her experience as a lawyer and law professor, a rabbi’s wife, and a mother.
Glazer is deeply connected to SOPAC, serving as an advisor to the Creative Community Brain Trust and helping to guide the performing arts center towards increasingly inclusive and community-focused programming. Liz has performed in numerous all-female nights of comedy at SOPAC, including the SO Jewish Comedy Night in December 2023.
ABOUT SOPAC
The South Orange Performing Arts Center offers audiences exhilarating and diverse arts entertainment in its intimate venue, serving as the cultural heartbeat of the greater South Orange/Maplewood region and contributing to the economic and social vibrancy of its highly diverse community.
SOPAC is an accessible cultural destination that presents world-class artists in an intimate and welcoming environment. The Jennifer & Tony Leitner Performance Hall is a 439-seat mainstage theatre with superb acoustics, sight lines and seating. Audiences remark that performances in this space are like having their favorite artists right in their own living room. Artists acknowledge that the atmosphere encourages conversations with audiences. The Loft at SOPAC is a 2,185 square-foot multi-purpose space used for performances, rehearsals, classes and special events.
The unique architecture of SOPAC’s building, which includes a stunning 3-story glass-enclosed atrium, is also home to the Herb + Milly Iris Gallery. Beyond the building, SOPAC co-produces local events such as South Orange Summer Nights and serves students and schools through its arts education programs.
SOPAC is invested in arts education. SOPAC serves students and schools in our region through a School Performance Series, performing Arts Residencies and annual juried art exhibits entitled INSPIRED MINDS: Young Artist Exhibition and INSPIRING MINDS. SOPAC also collaborates with the New Jersey State Council on the Arts each year to host the Region 5 Poetry Out Loud competitions. The Seton Hall University Arts Council presents a diverse range of events at SOPAC with seasoned professionals, students and faculty.
Nearly ten years in the making, SOPAC first opened its doors in 2006. South Orange Village Trustees, in partnership with Seton Hall University, envisioned SOPAC as the center of an ambitious redevelopment plan. Through visionary leadership and an unwavering commitment, SOPAC has become a cultural centerpiece for the region, an economic driver for the community, and a catalyst for artistic opportunity.
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