Since its first performance in January of 2000, the Rogers Center for the Arts at Merrimack College in North Andover has belied its contemporary brick and glass structure to become one of the beating hearts of arts and culture in the Merrimack Valley. Beginning in 1998 with the vision of Irving Rogers Jr., former publisher of the Eagle Tribune, and a $2 million grant from the Rogers Family Foundation, the Rogers Center today welcomes more than 50,000 patrons a year.
Providing a world-class venue for the performing arts, a home for several local arts organizations and broadened opportunities for arts education at Merrimack College, the Rogers Center offers something for everyone. Maureen Lanigan, director of the Rogers Center since its inception, notes, “By not being an exclusive theater, we are bringing the arts alive. We can widen people’s visions and inspire them to look beyond the everyday by offering programming that speaks to them, whether it’s Irish folk music, comedy, big bands or Broadway-style shows.”
Maureen Lanigan has been the director of the Rogers Center since its inception in 2000. Photos by Adrien Bisson.
Though its official season runs from September through May, the Rogers Center offers programming throughout the year. The popular Tambakos and International film series offer several classic Hollywood and foreign movies free of charge each year, complete with expert commentary. The Rogers Center also is the home of the Merrimack Valley Philharmonic Orchestra and the Andover Choral Society, both of which have seen their audiences increase dramatically since coming to perform at the facility.
In putting together a schedule of events for the 600-plus seat Rogers Center each season, Lanigan tries to anticipate her audience’s needs. “We’re booking a full season in advance,” she says. “There aren’t enough dates on the calendar to accommodate all the performers who’d like to come. In many ways we’re lucky. Our smaller venue allows us to offer programming that other theaters can’t; it gives our audience a very intimate experience, and the house is always full.”
The Rogers Center has also greatly enriched the learning experiences of many Merrimack College students. The school’s acting program makes wide use of its performance space, green room, professional dressing rooms and state-of-the-art set building studio, as does the student jazz band, the “On-Stagers” drama troupe, and the campus dance team. “Before the center was built, the students used to have to perform in the church basement or in the 100-seat Stevens Theater in Cushing Hall,” Lanigan says. “The Rogers Center provides these kids with professional experience and gives them the opportunity to perform at the height of their abilities.”
In addition to being a home for the performing arts, the Rogers Center also houses the McCoy Art Gallery, a bright and modern space that is the site of five to seven shows each year by both local and national artists, as well as a student show each spring. The center also has earned itself a reputation as a premier recording space. Sought out by musicians and performers from as far away as California, its acoustics have been compared by some to those at Symphony Hall in Boston.
Lanigan says her goal is to stay in tune with what the center’s patrons want. “As our audience changes, we will change,” she says. “We will be dedicated to making the lives of the people who come here as flavorful as possible for many decades to come.”
For more information on the Rogers Center, schedules or ticket sales, visit www.Merrimack.edu/Rogers or call (978) 837-5355.
Bringing the Arts Alive – Rogers Center for the Arts
Providing a world-class venue for the performing arts, a home for several local arts organizations and broadened opportunities for arts education at Merrimack College, the Rogers Center offers something for everyone. Maureen Lanigan, director of the Rogers Center since its inception, notes, “By not being an exclusive theater, we are bringing the arts alive. We can widen people’s visions and inspire them to look beyond the everyday by offering programming that speaks to them, whether it’s Irish folk music, comedy, big bands or Broadway-style shows.”
Maureen Lanigan has been the director of the Rogers Center since its inception in 2000. Photos by Adrien Bisson.
Though its official season runs from September through May, the Rogers Center offers programming throughout the year. The popular Tambakos and International film series offer several classic Hollywood and foreign movies free of charge each year, complete with expert commentary. The Rogers Center also is the home of the Merrimack Valley Philharmonic Orchestra and the Andover Choral Society, both of which have seen their audiences increase dramatically since coming to perform at the facility.
In putting together a schedule of events for the 600-plus seat Rogers Center each season, Lanigan tries to anticipate her audience’s needs. “We’re booking a full season in advance,” she says. “There aren’t enough dates on the calendar to accommodate all the performers who’d like to come. In many ways we’re lucky. Our smaller venue allows us to offer programming that other theaters can’t; it gives our audience a very intimate experience, and the house is always full.”
The Rogers Center has also greatly enriched the learning experiences of many Merrimack College students. The school’s acting program makes wide use of its performance space, green room, professional dressing rooms and state-of-the-art set building studio, as does the student jazz band, the “On-Stagers” drama troupe, and the campus dance team. “Before the center was built, the students used to have to perform in the church basement or in the 100-seat Stevens Theater in Cushing Hall,” Lanigan says. “The Rogers Center provides these kids with professional experience and gives them the opportunity to perform at the height of their abilities.”
In addition to being a home for the performing arts, the Rogers Center also houses the McCoy Art Gallery, a bright and modern space that is the site of five to seven shows each year by both local and national artists, as well as a student show each spring. The center also has earned itself a reputation as a premier recording space. Sought out by musicians and performers from as far away as California, its acoustics have been compared by some to those at Symphony Hall in Boston.
Lanigan says her goal is to stay in tune with what the center’s patrons want. “As our audience changes, we will change,” she says. “We will be dedicated to making the lives of the people who come here as flavorful as possible for many decades to come.”
For more information on the Rogers Center, schedules or ticket sales, visit www.Merrimack.edu/Rogers or call (978) 837-5355.