Visual and Performing Arts Center at WCSU

10/11/2026

10/05/2026

The WCSU SVPCA Faculty Spotlight is a recognition of the outstanding work being done by our esteemed faculty in the School of Visual, Performing, and Communication Arts. We hope you take a moment to read about the accomplishments of the faculty members featured in this semester’s spotlight at https://www.wcsu.edu/svpca/svpca-faculty-spotlight/

10/01/2026

Attention all music fans! Add these dates to your calendars, because you do not want to miss these outstanding performances coming up soon! For more information about our upcoming concerts and for tickets, visit wcsuvpac.eventbrite.com.

09/25/2026

Take a peek into rehearsals of BRIGHT STAR, and learn all about our production! Bright Star opens October 9th at the Visual and Performing Arts Center in Danbury, CT. For tickets and more info, visit westrepstage.org.

09/23/2026

Registration is open! Join us for a Super Sunday on Sunday, October 11 with the Department of Theatre at WCSU!

All high school juniors and seniors, and college transfers, are encouraged to attend this free event. At Super Sunday, you will get a look at our facilities including our state-of-the-art Visual and Performing Art Center, take workshops with our esteemed faculty in your area of interest, get to know our current students, and see a matinee of our mainstage musical Bright Star for free!

To register, visit: https://www.wcsu.edu/theatrearts/super-sunday-at-wcsu/

08/25/2026

Inspired by a true story, Bright Star is a sweeping, heartfelt musical featuring a Tony-nominated score by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell. Set against the vibrant backdrop of the American South in the 1920s and 1940s, this deeply emotional tale explores love, loss, and the transformative power of redemption. When literary editor Alice Murphy meets a young soldier just home from World War II, he awakens her longing for the child she once lost. Haunted by their unique connection, Alice sets out on a journey to understand her past—and what she finds has the power to transform both of their lives.

Bright Star runs October 9-18 at the Visual & Performing Arts Center in Danbury, CT. For tickets and more information, visit westrepstage.org.

05/27/2026

Save the date! The 2026 Professional Development Day for Arts Educators is November 3rd, 2026!

Feating Keynote Speaker: Rhoda Bernard, Accessible Arts Education

at the Visual and Performing Arts Center at Western Connecticut State University

This seven hour day offers music, art and theatre educators the opportunity to continue their professional development by choosing workshops in their disciplines. Workshops are taught by WCSU faculty and guests artists and lecturers. Workshop selections will be announced at a later date. Registration will open September 1st. You will receive an email when registration goes live.

05/27/2026

Save the date! The 2026 Professional Development Day for Arts Educators is November 3rd, 2026!

Feating Keynote Speaker: Rhoda Bernard, Accessible Arts Education

at the Visual and Performing Arts Center at Western Connecticut State University

This seven hour day offers music, art and theatre educators the opportunity to continue their professional development by choosing workshops in their disciplines. Workshops are taught by WCSU faculty and guests artists and lecturers. Workshop selections will be announced at a later date. Registration will open September 1st. You will receive an email when registration goes live.

Rhoda Bernard, Ed.D. is the Founding Managing Director of the Institute for Accessible Arts Education and the Assistant Chair of the Music Education Department at Berklee College of Music. She holds a Bachelor of Arts cm laude in government from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Music with academic honors in jazz voice from New England Conservatory. She earned both her Master of Education and Doctor of Education degrees from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Dr. Bernard's book, Accessible Arts Education: Principles, Habits, and Strategies to Unleash Every Student's Creativity and Learning, was released by Solution Tree Press in 2025. An internationally renowned expert in Accessible Arts Education, she is highly sought after as a speaker, presenter, and facilitator. Bernard regularly presents keynote presentations and research at conferences throughout the US and abroad, and she provides professional development workshops for educators in local, national, and international forums. Her work has been published in several book chapters and in numerous journals. In 2025, Bernard was awarded a Fulbright Specialist Residency in Dublin, Ireland. She has been honored with the Irene Buck Service to Arts Education Award from Arts|Learning (2023), the Berklee Urban Service Award (2017), the Boston Conservatory Community Service Award (2011), the Boston Conservatory Faculty/Staff Spirit Award (2007), and the Outstanding Dissertation Award, Honorable Mention (Second Place) from the Arts and Learning Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association. An active arts education advocate, she is the immediate past chair of the Arts Education Advisory Council of Americans for the Arts, and she serves on its speakers bureau. A vocalist and pianist who specializes in jazz music and Jewish music in Yiddish and Hebrew, she performs regularly with a number of klezmer bands and has recorded two CDs with the band Klezamir.