Thank You for a Successful 9th Season of Professional Performances
and Looking Forward to Our 10th Anniversary!

We would like to thank the Forest Hills community and greater Grand Rapids area for a successful ninth season! This year’s theme, Feel The Rhythm, captured the true essence of this season’s shows. With a line-up that included musical chops and roots in a variety of genres, while providing world-class entertainment for stage, we know you enjoyed these wonderful performances as much as we did bringing them to you.

In addition to our fantastic six-show line up we were pleased to have a special event, The Concert To Restore Michigan, which benefited arts education and the Fine Arts Center, but supported the Kid’s Food Basket as well. And, in our second year of the Community Partners program, we were pleased to introduce three organizations to you throughout this season that are devoted to children, families, and the Arts.

While we think providing one-of-a-kind events and entertainment is important, we always have our mission in mind: enhancing the artistic growth and enjoyment of area youth, families and community members, while providing opportunities for students of Forest Hills Public Schools to experience the Arts. We are meeting that mission with over 92% of our annual usage dedicated to our students and staff, our one-of-a-kind Artist-In-Residence/Exhibit Program, community classes in all areas of the arts, and all of the fantastic programs throughout the year that visit our Center.

As we approach our 10th anniversary season, we reflect on the incredible support we have received since opening our doors in 2004. Our West Michigan community has been generous with time and talent and support, and we are extremely fortunate to have a wide-base of support from patrons, staff, volunteers, students, families, businesses, and donors, who continue to demonstrate what a giving community we live in. We are already working on the details of our 10th anniversary season and will be announcing the exciting performances this July!

To recap, here's the performances of our 9th Professional Series:

The Music of Queen:
A Rock & Symphonic Spectacular

The Fine Arts Center's Professional Season is funded through season ticket sales, sponsorships, and advertisers.

Season Subscriber Benefits
Become a Subscriber Next Season to Enjoy the Following Benefits:

• Best seats in the house
• The ability to renew or upgrade seats each season
• An opportunity to purchase two additional tickets (while available) for each show prior to subscription sales to the public
• Tickets by mail, fax, phone or at the Fine Arts Center Box Office
• Lost ticket “insurance”
• The Hilton Grand Rapids Airport is offering subscribers a special discount for overnight accommodations to thank you for subscribing this year. Information will be sent with your season tickets.
• Five Year Club
• Special Event Presales

2012-2013 Season Partners

Community Partners

The Forest Hills Public Schools Fine Arts Center (FAC) was created to enhance the artistic growth and enjoyment of area youth, families and community members. This year we continue to support our mission by working with local agencies and organizations that support the arts and families. Our 2012-2013 Community Partners reflect the caring community we live in by providing valuable services to children, families, and all of West Michigan. We want to introduce these incredible organizations to you throughout the season and hope that by partnering with them we can share in the common goal of making our community a better place to live in.

ACT — Formerly Very Special Arts
Artists Creating Together (formerly VSA) brings children, youth and adults with disabilities together with art. Through building self-confidence and personal satisfaction, art breaks down many of the emotional and psychological barriers that hold people back.  ACT works with over 6,000 people each year in classrooms, hospitals, arts and disabilities organizations, and in the wider community. For more information, go to ArtistsCreatingTogether.org or visit us on Facebook at ArtistsCreatingTogether.

Habitat for Humanity of Kent County
Habitat for Humanity of Kent County is a non-profit Christian organization based in Grand Rapids. Habitat Kent is the local affiliate of Habitat International, offering home ownership opportunities to low-income families in Kent, eastern Ottawa and northern Allegan counties. Habitat homes are not given away; they are purchased by homebuyer families through zero-percent mortgages. Thousands of Habitat volunteers and donors have worked together with partner families to help make their dreams of home ownership a reality through offering a hand up—not a handout. Habitat in Grand Rapids is the top-producing affiliate in Michigan and since their founding in 1983 has built more than 330 new and rehabbed homes including 100 that are LEED Certified. To learn more about this organization, please visit HabitatKent.org.

GiGi Society

Girlfriends Giving Back in West Michigan is a unique community giving circle that welcomes both women and men and people of all ages to participate. The mission of the GiGi Society is to invest both time and financial support directly into local organizations in the interest of basic needs, environmental impact, and human welfare. 

The GiGi Society (Girlfriends Giving Back in West Michigan) began with the idea of creating a community-wide effort of giving, regardless of age, race, gender, income, or any other social barrier.  No gift is ever too small, and no amount of work is ever too little.  Everyone involved with any the group's efforts—whether it is joining a fund raising event or working hands-on with a project—considers themselves to be a part of the GiGi Society.  There are no membership fees, no specific training, no minimum number of hours to contribute. Choose what works best for you—what matches your passion, and join the GiGi Society in giving back to the community.  It’s how the GiGi Society circle works. Learn more at the GiGi Society Facebook page.

Join the Fine Arts Center Mailing List

Get printed information about upcoming performances, exhibits and events and the Center. You will receive a copy of our 2008-2009 season brochure and the quarterly Fine Arts Center newsletter, Artspeaks.

Fine Arts Center Mailing List   (Please include your name, mailing address and email address.)

Video Tour of the Fine Arts Center

Take the 5-minute video tour of the Fine Arts Center to see this amazing facility inside and out. Click here, select "Video Tour" at the top of the page and then select the movie version best suited for your Internet connection.

Professionals from Saint Mary’s Health Care will present information on today’s current health topics. Attendees will enjoy the audience-friendly format of 30-minute presentations with 15 minutes for questions and answers. Three lectures will be offered between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.

• Hip and Knee Replacement:  A Joint Venture, 1:00 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.
  Presented by Bryan Pack, MD  •  Orthopedic Surgeon, Mercy Health

• Suggested Screenings for Better Health, 2:00 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.
   Presented by Robert Riekse, MD • Geriatrician, Mercy Health

• Memory: What’s Normal, What’s Not, and How We Can Hang on to It, 3:00 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.
   Presented by David Nyenhuis, PhD • Neuropsychologist, Mercy Health

Stay the afternoon with your family, friends, and neighbors and enjoy:

• Exhibit booths and health screenings provided by local businesses and organizations.

• Enter our drawing on May 22! Door prizes include:
  $250 VISA gift cards from Founders Bank & Trust
  $200 gift cards from Forest Hills Foods and Forest Hills Fuel
  $200 gift card from Porter Hills to use at Forest Hills Foods
  and Forest Hills Fuel

• Healthy snacks provided by Sentinel Pointe Retirement Community.

Sponsored by:
Saint Mary's Health Care, A Member of the New Mercy Health

Join Shrek, our unlikely hero, and his loyal steed Donkey as they set off on a quest to rescue the beautiful (if slightly temperamental) Princess Fiona from her tower guarded by a fire-breathing, love-sick dragon. Add the diminutive Lord Farquaad, a gang of fairy-tale misfits, and a biscuit with attitude, and you’ve got the must-see musical comedy – Shrek the Musical!

Summer Stock is Forest Hills’ annual musical theater summer study program for ninth through twelfth graders. Tickets are available beginning June 24 at the FAC Box Office, 600 Forest Hill Avenue (in person ticket sales only), or online at Ticketmaster.com. Tickets are $9 for adults and $7 for students 18 and under.

Theater Seating Diagram

Click the links below to view a detailed seating diagrams for reference in choosing seats for Fine Arts Center performances. Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view and print this document. Click here to download Adobe Acrobat Reader if you need it.

Orchesta Seating Diagram   (PDF file, 384KB)
Mezzanine Seating Diagram   (PDF file, 316KB)
Balcony and Loge Seating Diagram   (PDF file, 768KB

Event Sponsorship

The Fine Arts Center staff can assist you in creating a sponsorship package unique to your company at an affordable cost. For more information, please contact Meg George (mgeorge@fhps.net) at 616.493.8965.