Monroe County Fine Arts Center ready to host performers

FORSYTH, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The stage is set for some big performances in Forsyth at the Monroe County Fine Arts Center.

The construction is finally finished.

“In our other auditorium they had no dressing room,” said Monroe County Schools Assistant Superintendent Jackson Daniel.

From the dressing room to the stage, there’s going to be plenty of room for sound and lights.

“We’re not all on top of each other, we have a little bit of room to actually ‘be,'” said Mary Persons High School student Ansleigh Long.

Be performers, be singers, be a part of a band–that’s what Mary Persons High School students Kiarra Smith and Long are excited about.

“This wasn’t offered to us when we were in middle school or most of our high school careers, and it just means that us singing just has a really big impact on the community,” said Long.

The impact is finally a reality–the new 8.8 million dollar Monroe County Fine Arts Center sits on Highway 41 as you come toward Forsyth from Interstate 75.

“It makes us feel special and like the community supports us and what we do,” said Smith.

That’s the door Assistant Superintendent of Monroe Co. Schools Jackson Daniel hopes the center will open.

“Our school system maintained what we had, and as the economy has come back, we’ve grown the arts, and so we actually have full-time music, band and visual arts teachers at every school,” said Daniel.

They’ll be teaching kids with help from a top-notch facility.

“There are scholarship opportunities available for all of those arts programs just like in athletics,” said Daniel. “So this is a good place for that.”

And a good way to bring performers in from around the country.

“To be able to host outside events that will bring different experiences for the students,” said Daniel.

Not mention some fun concerts as well.

“On February 3rd, our local theatre group The Backlot Players are bringing John Berry,” said Daniel.

There’s room for an audience, performers and growth in the arts in Monroe County.

“We get to make sure we look good for the audience,” said Smith.