Members of Manhattones. From left to right: Dean, Layla, Vanessa, Jack, Sophia, Keira, Nick, Joseph, Landen, John and Brooke MAIZY SWIFT /COURTESY
Maizy Swift, Senior Writer
In early April, the Performing Arts Department at Manhattan University (MU) will hold its annual “Performal,” an event created through the collaboration of performing arts groups and clubs on campus, inviting everyone from MU to take a look at polished performances that have been in development for up to a year. That said, a GoFundMe has been posted on the MU Pep Band’s Instagram page asking for $1,300 to provide food and party favors for the event.
Vanessa Goncalves, a senior computer science major and co-president of MU Singers, described the Performal event, and all that goes into it.
“It [Performal] usually happens towards the end of the semester, we pick a theme and sometimes we will perform small scenes from a musical, or if the acapella group wants to perform…,” Goncalves said. “Just little things to showcase our talent and all that we’ve been working very hard on throughout the year. It’s just a way to celebrate what we’ve given back to the community.”
Keira Rheinheimer, a junior sound studies major who works for the Performing Arts Department, has been helping to set up this event. Rheinheimer shared with The Quadrangle some challenges the department has faced in getting funding for this event.
“To my knowledge, we never had to fundraise for it as a department, we always had the money in our budget to pay for it,” Rheinheimer said. “This is definitely new, and I know that each club goes through the performing arts budget.”
According to Rheinheimer, obtaining funding for the event has been difficult, so she has tried multiple ways to raise money, including creating a GoFundMe and perhaps holding a bake sale in the near future.
“We do not have money left to spend for Performal, so initially we reached out to individual clubs [within the performing arts] to see if they had any leftover money,” Rheinheimer said. “But they’ve also been kind of shorthanded in terms of budget, so I reached out to student engagement, the vice president of student life, student government [and] someone recommended a GoFundMe.”
Along with funding, Rheinheimer shared with The Quadrangle that it’s been difficult to raise awareness for the events organized by the Performing Arts Department.
“It’s really hard. Some people just don’t know that we exist at all,” Rheinheimer said.
On a brighter note, Goncalves shared how she still has hope for the future of Performing Arts and allocating a larger budget.
“As the school really shines in this new university role it’s taking up, I think we’ll see better funding, and I think in general, we’ll also see better prioritization,” Goncalves said.
Goncalves also shared how these events give the people involved in the performing arts at MU an outlet to show their hard work and creativity.
“We choose everything that we do very intentionally … and if we really prove that we’re an important part of our community, funding will follow,” Goncalves said.
Olivia Bailey, a senior communication major and producer for Players, expressed the importance of the performing arts to MU’s campus.
“The performing arts students on campus are a very large and passionate group who do a lot for the Manhattan University community, from taking performing arts classes for credit, performing concerts and even being hired by the school to perform,” Bailey wrote. “We hold a crucial role in the Manhattan [University] ecosystem.”
Bailey also went on to write how the performing arts community deserves support for the work they put in throughout the year.
“I hope for the future that those who decide our budget can take the time to conceptualize the dedication that we all have and what it truly takes to give a good performance,” Bailey wrote. “Our students are some of the most talented people I know. It’s worth imagining how much potential our club could explore if our budget were restored to what it had been in the past.”
Events such as the Performal highlight the work of performing arts students all across campus and reward their effort.
“It’s so important to have an event where everyone can come together and hang out as friends and celebrate the hard work we’ve already done and just enjoy,” Rheinheimer said. “Students work so hard the whole time, they take the time out of their studies to do this club [and] community-based arts events, [they] deserve a time to celebrate it.” If you would like to donate to the Performing Arts Department as a means to help contribute toward raising money for Performal, you can do so here.