Is Christmas Coming to Bluefield Next Year?

Photo provided by Rampage student photographer Rachel Hendrick

Bluefield University has elected to make a major adjustment to its academic calendar. In years past the campus would all be sent home to enjoy Thanksgiving break and return the following two weeks for finals before being sent home again for Christmas break.

This caused lots of trouble for students who live far away and return home. Many students found ways to take finals early and not return to campus for the remainder of the year. This seems to be the driving factor behind the change. However, one question has seemingly been overlooked. How will this impact the fine arts?

While many people assumed the arts would be hit hard, that luckily may not be the case. Thanks to the power of community, the theater department has high hopes despite the major change to the calendar.

Charles Reese, Theatre Department Co-Chair, said, “Our productions have moved from largely college students to largely local youth and community, which means they’re still in the area. And so we’ll still stick with our regular, typical Christmas season.”

“Now that means class will be over, but we’ll be doing a Christmas show just like we always do. In fact, in some ways, it’ll be less complicated for us than it is usually because we won’t be coordinating with so many other things. I mean, Christmas, usually we’re trying to find space around recitals and the Christmas Bluefield concert and other things that are happening. And once we get back from Thanksgiving, it’ll just be us,” finished Reese.

One of Bluefield’s strengths is its local community; that’s why it’s called the Bluefield Youth and Community Theatre. The majority of the theatre cast and crew are made up of these community members, and since the new plan does not affect the local community members who can stay after the semester, the shows will go on.

The same positive outlook, however, is not held by the choirs and band. While a good portion of the choirs are community-based, there are still a good portion of students who are not local to the area in these areas of fine arts.

The department is also concerned with attendance. Where the theatre still gets ticket sales from the community, the choirs and band concerts do not, so it becomes a much less measurable thing to glean the benefits from.

“It is an academic event because it’s put on by our department, so it’s part of our music students’ education. We don’t just sit in an ivory tower. We want them to actually do things that are actually practical, do concerts, and perform in front of people. You can’t do that in a classroom. I mean, it has to be in this venue where they’re getting that experience,” said Dr. Jeremy Yowell, Professor of Music and Worship Arts.

Yowell went on to explain that profits could disappear, along with the students, as they leave for break earlier.

“It is an important community event. I mean, we have to have the community supporting the university. And sometimes that’s not always measurable. What money are they bringing in? I don’t know. We can’t measure it,” said Yowell.

Yowell, much like Reese, sees the value in community with the adjusted calendar.

‘”When we have the support of the community, it does help. And it does bring students in. And the community sees the value of what we’re doing here. So it is an important concert, in my mind,” Dr. Yowell said regarding Christmas at Bluefield.

So the question is still up in the air: Will there be a Christmas at Bluefield, or will this year’s be our last?