Paul Anka will be the first headliner act at the brand new Arcadia Unified School District’s Performing Arts Center at a special benefit concert Oct. 27 following three days of performances by school district student groups the previous weekend of Oct. 18-21.
Ticket sales for the Oct. 27 grand opening night fundraiser called “An Evening With Anka,” set to begin at 8 p.m., presented by the Arcadia school district and the non-profit Arcadia Performing Arts Foundation — a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established to support the Performing Arts Center — will benefit the Performing Arts Center, art education and art programming for the community. Ticket prices range from $100 – $2,500.
With a legendary career that spans more than four decades, Anka’s achievements include the Academy Award-nominated theme for “The Longest Day,” a film in which he also starred, followed by a long list of number one songs and hits including the ever-popular “My Way,” “Diana,”“(You’re) Having My Baby” and “You Are My Destiny,” among countless others.
Paul Anka
“We are thrilled to welcome Paul Anka as our special guest at the highly-anticipated opening of The Performing Arts Center, your home for the arts,” said Dr. Joel Shawn, Superintendent of the Arcadia Unified School District. “A world renowned talent, Mr. Anka has long been a pioneer in an industry that is especially dominant in California and a shining example of performing arts at its best.”
“AUSD is proud to officially open the doors of The Performing Arts Center with ‘An Evening With Anka’ and to finally be able to share this remarkable new entity, built on a foundation of promise and purpose, with our district, students and community at large for decades to come,” continued Shawn.
The new 1,200-seat Performing Art Center is a 40,000 square-foot state-of-the-art glass and brick facility with a dramatic internal courtyard, lobby and outdoor pavilion area is located on the Arcadia High School campus and is designed to be an inclusive hub for all of the performing arts in the San Gabriel Valley. The performance stage accommodates 200 musicians, variable acoustics and orchestral shells and professional lighting and sound systems. There is also an additional Black Box theater with a separate control room and flexible seating that can host 125 guests. The sound attenuated orchestra room contains instrument storage, practice rooms and a music library.
A professional dance studio with sprung wood floors is also housed in the Performing Arts Center as are comfortable dressing rooms, scene prop and costume storage space, back of the house stage crafts areas and a concessions booth.
Ticket order/donations to “An Evening With Anka” can be purchased online at theperformingartscenter.ausd.net. To order by mail or in person, the address is 234 Campus Drive, Arcadia 91107- Attn: Rachel Abeyta, AUSD Superintendent office. For more information, or to purchase tickets by phone, please call (626) 821-1781.
— By Scott Hettrick