ABOUT METROPOLIS PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE (MPAC)
Metropolis Performing Arts Centre (MPAC) houses 329 seats and hosts hundreds of produced and presented performances each year, including a Main Stage subscription series and various concerts, comedies, and cabarets.
The Metropolis School of Performing Arts (SOPA) enriches the lives of thousands of students aged 4 – 80+. Our school curates arts curricula for students of all ages, including those with disabilities.
OUR COMMITMENT
• Metropolis Performing Arts Centre stands against systemic racism, hatred, and violence.
• Metropolis strives to ensure our theater is a safe space and secure environment, free of harassment or intimidation.
• We acknowledge that lack of action is harmful. Metropolis has implemented and will continue to take specific, actionable steps toward long-term and sustainable change.
OUR PLEDGE
• To recruit and engage people of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and voices (including but not limited to BIPOC, AAPI, LGBTQIA+, and persons with disabilities) within our staff, on our board, on our stage, and in our school.
• To engage institute-wide, anti-racist education and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) training to build a lasting culture of inclusion in partnership with YWCA: Eliminating Racism, Empowering Women.
• To regularly evaluate the effectiveness and impact of our choices as experienced by these populations.
• To onboard staff, creative teams, and artists with training on harassment and discrimination as well as communication guidelines.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We acknowledge that our performing arts center is located on the unceded, ancestral lands of indigenous tribes, such as the Council of the Three Fires–comprised of the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi Nations–as well as the Miami, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Sac, Fox, Kickapoo, and Illinois Nations.
We recognize the intentional displacement of Indigenous peoples and cultures by European settlers and government actions. Non-indigenous people continue to profit from this decision-making today. We encourage our Metropolis staff and community to reflect on this power dynamic and to center and honor Indigenous peoples in future relationships with and on these lands.
We embrace our commitment to Indigenous rights, racial justice, and cultural equity not only through this statement but also through our commitment to the exploration of works by Native American playwrights, pieces by indigenous artists, and curriculum that reflects the rich experiences of Indigenous peoples as part of our mission of education through the arts.
We believe that our land acknowledgment is only one part of a broader constellation of initiatives. Our first step towards change is education: learning historical and cultural context. Below are links that helped to inform this statement, and we encourage our community to explore them.
RESOURCES
• https://aicchicago.org/
• https://chicagoaicc.com/
• http://www.ala.org/aboutala/
• https://mitchellmuseum.org/
• http://www.ala.org/aboutala/
• https://www.artic.edu/about-
Live Entertainment
- Metropolis produces five Main Stage shows annually, including the holiday tradition A Christmas Carol
- Metropolis presents hundreds of shows and events each year, welcoming Grammy, Emmy and Tony Award Winning artists and entertainers
- Over 50,000 patrons visit Metropolis annually
- Metropolis presents and produces Theatre for Young Audiences through our Stories in Action initiative and the School of the Performing Arts, welcoming thousands of students annually
School of the Performing Arts (SOPA)
- Offers low-cost options and need-based scholarships
- All ages are welcome – the school has hosted students from 8 months old to 91 years young
- Through the Artist Workshop Series – Students have worked with a cast of Jersey Boys and Wicked, George Winston, Shawn Mullins, Liz Callaway, and more
Community Engagement
- Provides top-quality co-curricular and extra-curricular performing arts education experiences through in- and after-school programming and throughout the community
- Metropolis has served 94 different communities and organizations, from park districts, schools, and public agencies
- Over 15,000 individuals, including children, teens, seniors, and those with special needs, have been engaged through our programming
- Programs are offered at low- to no-cost and are either pre-existing or custom designed for clients
- Programs for children and adults that focus on social, artistic, and intellectual development, utilizing playwriting, acting, improvisation, voice, music, movement, and a variety of other arts-related techniques
Community Impact
- According to an independent study commissioned by the Village of Arlington Heights, Metropolis generates several million dollars of economic impact annually at local restaurants and other area businesses. This does not include Metropolis’ ticket sales
- Over 70% of households that visit Metropolis come from a neighboring community
- Metropolis donates tickets to hundreds of different non-profits each year