'The Vanishing Elephant'
Wise, VA– The Pro-Art Association has concluded its 48th season with record-breaking attendance for the fourth consecutive year. The nonprofit served over 12,000 patrons across Wise, Leeand Dickensonncounties and the City of Norton—including more than 6,600 students.
The 2024–25 season offered a diverse lineup of performances that celebrated global artistry and local engagement. From Cahoots NI’s magical “The Vanishing Elephant” to the acclaimed Acting Company’s powerful production of August Wilson’s “Two Trains Running,” audiences experienced a season of transformative live performance. Other highlights included the inventive puppetry and physical comedy of Alex & Olmsted’s “HUBBA HUBBA,” the electrifying New Orleans brass band The Soul Rebels, and a mesmerizing performance by Korean gayageum virtuoso Seo Jungmin—whose school performance was a particular favorite among local students.
“In the five years that I have spent as Executive Director of the Pro-Art Association, this past season has been my favorite,” said Michael McNulty. “It represented an amazing diversity of arts, from classic clowning and puppetry to ancient Korean instruments, to one of the finest acting companies in the world.”
This season also marked new and strengthened partnerships aimed at increasing access to the arts. In collaboration with Deb Wells and Lay’s Hardware Center for the Arts, Pro-Art expanded programming access to Coeburn Primary School students. A new partnership with Natural Tunnel State Park enabled Pro-Art to provide sound engineers for the annual Papa Joe Smiddy Festival, further integrating professional arts support into beloved local traditions.
Pro-Art is also celebrating the continued success of its summer theater camp, which saw an over 40% increase in attendance this year. During Camp Create! young artists gather to explore creativity and build performance skills while working on a musical production. “Shrek the Musical, JR.” opens later this month. Additionally, Pro-Art hosted a successful second annual field trip, this time to New York City, to provide local residents with unforgettable opportunities to experience Broadway, museums, architecture and more on a five-day journey to the Big Apple.
“We are deeply grateful to our community for continuing to recognize the value of the arts in Southwest Virginia,” said McNulty. “The record-breaking attendance this season reflects not just interest, but shared investment in creativity, culture, and connection.”
As the nonprofit looks ahead to its 49th season, Pro-Art remains committed to enriching lives through exceptional performing arts programming, made possible by the steadfast support of the region’s schools, foundations, and community members.The nonprofit is asking for feedback on the 2024-25 season and calling for suggestions for those to come. Pro-Art invites the community to fill out the end of season survey atproartva.org(approximately 3 minutes of your time). They also welcome your phone call or email at (276) 376-4520 orpro-art@uvawise.edu.
Join Pro-Art’s mailing list to receive email reminders about upcoming performances. Sign up atproartva.organd follow the nonprofit on social media at @proartva.
Pro-Art is supported in part by the Virginia Commission for the Arts, which receives support from the Virginia General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as the C. Bascom Slemp Foundation, The University of Virginia’s College at Wise, Mountain Empire Community College, the Columbus Phipps Foundatio nand the Lee County Community Foundation.
