The Roger L. Stevens Center is the primary performance venue in downtown

Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in ...

and is owned and operated by the

University of North Carolina School of the Arts The University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) is an arts school in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It grants high school, undergraduate, and graduate degrees. Founded in 1963 as the North Carolina School of the Arts by then-Governo ...

. It is named after the theatre producer and real estate magnate Roger L. Stevens and was opened on April 22, 1983. The venue serves the major UNCSA productions, the Winston-Salem Symphony, Piedmont Opera, and many other touring and local productions. All in all the theatre is used for rehearsal or performance all but 70 days of the year.

History

The Stevens Center was originally the Carolina Theater, a movie theatre, before it was donated to the School of the Arts in 1980 by the

Winston-Salem Journal The ''Winston-Salem Journal'' is an American, English language daily newspaper primarily serving Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, North Carolina. It also covers Northwestern North Carolina. The paper is owned by Lee Enterprises. ''The Journa ...

. It was renovated by the School of the Arts using $9.6 million in state bond money and opened on April 22, 1983 with a star-studded gala featuring the UNCSA symphony Orchestra with Leonard Bernstein conducting and

Isaac Stern Isaac Stern (July 21, 1920 – September 22, 2001) was an American violinist. Born in Poland, Stern came to the US when he was 14 months old. Stern performed both nationally and internationally, notably touring the Soviet Union and China, and ...

as soloist, and Gregory Peck as the master of ceremonies. Guests in attendance included Agnes de Mille,

Cliff Robertson Clifford Parker Robertson III (September 9, 1923 – September 10, 2011) was an American actor whose career in film and television spanned over six decades. Robertson portrayed a young John F. Kennedy in the 1963 film '' PT 109'', and won the 19 ...

, Governor James Hunt, President and Mrs. Gerald Ford and

Lady Bird Johnson Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Johnson (''née'' Taylor; December 22, 1912 – July 11, 2007) was First Lady of the United States from 1963 to 1969 as the wife of President Lyndon B. Johnson. She previously served as Second Lady from 1961 to 1963 whe ...

.Library , Archives History
The Stevens Center faced difficulty when the federal

Economic Development Administration The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that provides grants and technical assistance to economically distressed communities in order to generate new employment, help retain exist ...

demanded UNCSA pay back $3.12 million because they transferred the title from UNCSA to NCSA, Inc. They also faced trouble with Forsyth County over taxes. In 1990, UNCSA signed a deal to bring preview shows of

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

Musicals to the Stevens Center but had to end that relationship because the school was losing money on it. Currently the Stevens Center is occupied with either rehearsals or concerts all but 70 days of the year.

Specifications

*Two levels (Orchestra and Balcony) *1,380 seats *10 Stories

Building Usage

The building has been used by the following groups for their performances: *Piedmont Opera *Piedmont Wind Symphony *Winston-Salem Symphony *Something for Everyone Series *NC Dance Festival *

RiverRun International Film Festival The RiverRun International Film Festival is an annual Oscar-qualifying film festival held each spring in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The festival is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and presents a variety of feature-length and short films fro ...

* American Rock band Daughtry shot the

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

for their single

September September is the ninth month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars, the third of four months to have a length of 30 days, and the fourth of five months to have a length of fewer than 31 days. September in the Northern H ...

at the Stevens Center. The building also houses many offices and the UNCSA Community Music School.

UNCSA Performances and Groups

The Nutcracker ''The Nutcracker'' ( rus, Щелкунчик, Shchelkunchik, links=no ) is an 1892 two-act ballet (""; russian: балет-феерия, link=no, ), originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchai ...

*UNCSA's All School Musicals, including the fiftieth anniversary production of

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play '' Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid ...

, as well as the 2011 production of 'Oklahoma!' *UNCSA Symphony Orchestra *UNCSA Wind Ensemble *A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute's Winter Opera *UNCSA School of Dance's Spring Dance

References

External links

North Carolina School of the Arts
{{Coord, 36.098458, -80.248178, display=title University of North Carolina School of the Arts Buildings and structures in Winston-Salem, North Carolina Performing arts centers in North Carolina Tourist attractions in Winston-Salem, North Carolina Dance in North Carolina