In 2021, Viterbo University celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Fine Arts Center, which opened in early 1971. The 2021 Viterbo Days alumni weekend in October featured a Saturday evening gala concert, with an alumni choir pitching in. Here is a timeline of some of the highlights of the Fine Arts Center.
1965
Viterbo President Grace McDonald, FSPA, announced plans for a premier $5.2 million Fine Arts Center. The Sisters received a $1 million grant and a $2.5 million loan from the government to partially fund the project. “We wrote and told them that La Crosse was the cultural dust bowl of the Midwest,” said Marie Leon LaCroix, FSPA ’45. “We promised that we would bring good things to the city if they gave us a grant.”
1969
A groundbreaking ceremony is held. Bishop Frederick Freking provided the blessing.
January 1971
The Fine Arts Center opens for students with the start of the spring semester. Employees spent much of a cold winter break getting the building ready for their arrival.
March 1971
William Shakespeare’s Macbeth officially opens the main theatre. Previous theatrical productions were held in the Murphy Center gymnasium.
July 1971
Viterbo’s production of The Sound of Music is the first production to feature actual nuns. An ad was run in TIME magazine that included an image from the production. “With its outstanding theatrical facilities, recital hall, and art galleries, this is the cultural center of the entire community as well as the college.”
March 1974
The first student opera is performed, Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance.
Summer 1974
The Fine Arts Center hosts the International Mime Festival. Articles about it appeared in Smithsonian Magazine and The New York Times. Richard Coe, drama critic for The Washington Post and author of the Smithsonian article, called the Fine Arts Center “superbly equipped.”
1980s
Performers include Vincent Price (1980), Itzhak Perlman (1983), Ray Charles (1984), Shari Lewis (1985), and Burl Ives (1985). Music theatre joins theatre, art, and music as a major at Viterbo.
1994
The black box theatre is named in honor of theatre department founder Sr. Marie Leon LaCroix ’45.
2004
Famed composer Marvin Hamlisch performs. His many works include A Chorus Line and The Way We Were.
2012
New seats are installed in the Fine Arts Center's Main Theatre.
March 2015
Viterbo University commemorates 125 years of the arts with the anniversary performance A Place for Us: A Gala Celebration of the Arts at Viterbo in the Fine Arts Center's Main Theatre. The gala, which was held in honor of the university's founders, the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, and their enduring commitment to the arts, was featured in a Wisconsin Public Television special with highlights from the event broadcast to a statewide audience as part of their Young Performers Initiative.
2017
Wisconsin Public Radio hosted a special edition of The Midday live from the newly dedicated Nola Starling Recital Hall in celebration of WPR’s Centennial. Several Viterbo community members performed on the broadcast.
2019
The newly named Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration Lobby is dedicated in honor of the FSPA and their incredible legacy. The first floor of the building is remodeled, which included a new box office lobby, president’s office, and the Kwik Trip Hospitality Suite.
Viterbo University Fine Arts Center Announces 2022–23 Season
The Viterbo University Fine Arts Center will welcome audiences for its 2022–23 season. The lineup features a diverse array of productions, including a Broadway musical, internationally renowned musicians, and dance performances.
Celebrating 50 Years of the Viterbo Fine Arts Center
“I think the Fine Arts Center has become a place of gathering at which people can come together and experience the arts, or as the FSPA say, ‘a place to nourish the soul,’” said Michael Ranscht, director of the 50-year-old Viterbo Fine Arts Center from 2005–20.