Committee discounts, produces performing arts for Bruins
By Vasiliki Marras
June 26, 2004 9:00 p.m.
UCLA is the home of Royce Hall, one of the leading performing
arts venues on the West Coast. UCLA Live, the campus performing
arts program, has brought acts ranging from Mikhail Baryshnikov to
Michael Moore, Yoko Ono to George Clinton and the Parliament
Funkadelic to UCLA.
The Student Committee for the Arts is a student-run committee
composed of about 20 graduate and undergraduate students who help
to promote UCLA Live events to students.
These students help choose, produce and publicize live
performances and decide how many tickets to sell at a discount. The
committee chooses shows, buys tickets for full price, and sells the
tickets to students at a discounted rate.
“It’s run by the students ““ they are
representatives of the UCLA campus,” says Charlene Heckner,
adviser to the SCA.
The committee subsidizes as much as $75 per ticket, bringing
ticket prices anywhere from $12 to $25 for students.
The SCA does a huge service to the students on campus, but the
program is not without a few drawbacks. Tickets must be purchased
six weeks in advance of the shows, and popular shows often sell out
quickly because the number of tickets that can be bought by the SCA
is limited.
“Previously, you had to stand in line six weeks prior (to
the performance) at 9 a.m. on Monday morning,” says Heckner,
“But this last year we have been selling tickets online to
make it easier because they are available 24 hours.”
In addition to providing students with a chance to see live
performances, it gives them the ability to get involved in the
production of shows.
“We are recruiting for next year. It’s quite
competitive ““ we get about 60-80 applicants and we will be
taking about 16,” says Heckner. “It’s a great
opportunity for students who want hands-on experience in
production.”
Next year, the SCA will be very involved with projects on
campus, despite fiscal complications.
Because of budget cuts, the SCA was unable to do very large
shows. Regardless of financial constraints, the SCA will continue
to be a resource for discounted student tickets to UCLA Live events
next year.
