Backstage Pass

Go backstage at Stephens Auditorium without leaving your house!
 What did Billy Bob Thornton really think about the audience at his recent concert in Ames?
What was going on behind the scenes at Stephens Auditorium during the Billy Joel/Twyla Tharp collaboration Movin' Out? What's the secret to making Iowa's longest-running production of The Nutcracker Ballet run so smoothly? And what was the story with all those aspiring opera singers, and did any of them make it to the Met?
 
Find the answers to these and other questions by clicking the links below:

Billy Bob Thornton Interview (courtesy of KIX 101)

Talking with the Stage Manager of Movin' Out

2008 Metropolitan Opera National Council - Iowa District Auditions
Listen to John Pemble's feature on the Met auditions which aired nationally
Monday, December 15, 2008 on "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered".
The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions for the Iowa District are based in the Iowa State Center's Outreach Department.  The Iowa State Center provides invaluable monetary and administrative support in addition to sponsoring the
Martha-Ellen Tye Career Development Award each year. 

Backstage with The Nutcracker Ballet - Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3

Goodnight Moon/The Runaway Bunny
Post-show discussion with the puppeteers of the Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia

Additional audio clips and videos can be found on individual event pages. Photographs of various events can be seen in the Photo Gallery link below