The Gilmour Academy campus will have a new addition when the 2019-2020 school year begins.
Ground was broken on June 2 at the Gates Mills Catholic school for the new Lorraine and Bill Dodero Center for Performing Arts. The complex will feature a 300-seat main theater, an 86-seat black box theater, a scene shop, costume shop, speech and debate practice rooms, a presentation room and music ensemble enclave, as well as an art gallery hall. Students in the Lower, Middle and Upper Schools will be able to use the space and benefit from the expanded programs made possible by a building dedicated to the performing arts.
School officials credit Lorraine and Bill Dodero for providing the lead gift to jumpstart the project. The couple?s daughter, Corinne Dodero Salvador, a 2002 Gilmour alumna, was involved in drama during her years at Gilmour. They stepped up with the lead gift in 2015, and thanks to the generosity of 289 other donors, the school was able to break ground. Construction is expected to be complete in time for the start of the 2019-2020 school year.
The groundbreaking ceremony featured a blessing of the future site of the building, a reflection on the impact of this new building by Gay Janis, Gilmour?s speech and drama director, two student performances and remarks from Fred G. Botek, a 1985 graduate and board chairman; Lorraine Dodero, Corinne Dodero Salvador and Kathy Kenny, head of school. The group then put shovels in the ground to officially begin the project.
?I know that this will be considered one of Gilmour?s most transformational projects. The Performing Arts Center will provide a hub for creativity, engagement and exploring for the Academy?s arts community and will provide support for education and common collaboration,? Dodero said. ?In order to allow a child to grow and expand, we all need to help them show their voice and this is the beginning of it.?
Kenny reflected on the event, saying, ?We are so excited to break ground on this long-desired theater building. The Lorraine and Bill Dodero Center for Performing Arts will transform the arts experience for our students with state-of-the art practice and performance space. This incredible facility will also enable us to build out arts programming for our students as well as the community. I couldn?t be more grateful to Lorraine and Bill Dodero and the many other donors who have made this dream a reality for our school.?
Gilmour has hired tda Architecture as the project architect and Panzica Construction Co. as the construction manager for the building.
?Having been involved with theater for many years in Cleveland, I am thrilled to see an innovative Center for Performing Arts being built for Gilmour Academy. Gilmour's students will greatly benefit from the customized space, expanded programs and increased performance opportunities,? said Tony Panzica, president and CEO of Panzica Construction and a 1971 Gilmour alumnus.
Gilmour is a Catholic, independent, coeducational, college-preparatory school sponsored by the Congregation of Holy Cross. It offers a Montessori program beginning at 18 months old and a Lower School, Middle School and Upper School. A boarding program is offered to students in grades 7-12.
The school is at 34001 Cedar Road, Gates Mills. For more information, visit gilmour.org.
