When the collection of visual and performing arts buildings known as the River Campus opened in 2007, Southeast Missouri State University’s Board of Regents had a dream of what the Earl and Margie Holland School of Visual and Performing Arts would become to the university and community.
“It was a vision of multiple people, from the president, Board of Regents, to leaders of Cape Girardeau,” Dr. Rhonda Weller-Stilson, Director of the Holland School of Visual and Performing Arts, said. ”They had the foresight to see a campus filled with artists and experiential opportunities for students.”
The three buildings at the River Campus house the Donald C. Bedell Performance Hall, the Rosemary Berkel and Harry L. Crisp II Southeast Missouri Regional Museum, the John and Betty Glenn Convocation Center, the Wendy Kurka Rust Flexible Theatre and the Robert F. and Gertrude L. Shuck Music Recital Hall.
“We have a beautiful piece of historic property we get to take care of,” Dr. Kenneth Stilson, department chair of the Conservatory of Theatre and Dance, said. “This campus is stunning. It’s like our own Lincoln Center here, all the different types of artists living together.”
Over its decade of existence, the River Campus has become the home to a thriving program and a creative environment for the arts.
In 2007, the Earl and Margie Holland School of Visual and Performing Arts offered 100 majors. Now, students can pick from 180 majors within the visual and performing arts program. The River Campus also has provided more events within the community.
“We’ve added summer camps, activities and the River Campus Summer Arts Festival,” Weller-Stilson said. The River Campus Summer Arts Festival launched in 2014.
Another area of growth the River Campus has experienced deals with accreditation. Accreditation indicates validation of a successful program. The National Association of Schools of Theatre has accredited Southeast’s Conservatory of Theatre program. Southeast is one of 80 schools in the country to receive this accreditation.
Students accepted into the Earl and Margie Holland School of Visual and Performing Arts appreciate the opportunity to express themselves through what the River Campus offers.
“Being able to have a separate space for all the arts students really makes for a great environment for creativity. River Campus is like a safe haven for me to develop my talent,” junior Abigail Alsmeyer, a theatre and dance major who has attended class at the River Campus since her freshman year, said. Alsmeyer played Miss Watson in the recent production “Big River”.
To celebrate the upcoming 10-year anniversary, the River Campus is hosting a couple of events. One of these is a choral and orchestral tribute concert. Winners of the Concerto and Aria and Rising Star Competition will perform Dr. Gordon “Dick” Goodwin’s work, which details the River Campus’s history. The concert will be held at 7:30 p.m Tuesday, March 7 in the Donald C. Bedell Performance Hall. The recent performance of “Big River” also had historical connections with the River Campus, because it was the first production performed at the River Campus.
