The Flynn Center is a full-service home for the performing arts in the region; offers a wide range of cultural and educational experiences to our community; and nurtures the creative development of new national and local performing artists.

Providing a Home for the Performing Arts

The Flynn provides a well-equipped and managed home for the arts and services that include a box office, ushers (Flynn Spirits), concessions, and professional crew. While educational studios primarily serve the Flynn’s own education programs, the Flynn provides a performance venue for the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, the Vermont Youth Orchestra, Lyric Theatre, and Vermont Stage Company, as well as the UVM Lane Series, and many local and touring groups. The quality of our facilities and services attracts leading concert promoters and major events in Burlington. Public spaces include:

• 1,453-seat proscenium auditorium
• 180-seat cabaret space
• A gallery with rotating exhibits of area artists
• Adjoining lobbies

Presenting the Finest in the Performing Arts

Events presented by the Flynn are carefully selected from among the finest artists and performances in the world. Regularly scheduled performances at the Flynn include:

• The Flynn MainStage Series, featuring world-class music, Broadway, theater, dance, and family performances on the MainStage, with additional touring shows added throughout the year.
• Intimate music, theater, and dance experiences in FlynnSpace, also on the MainStage Series, plus many programs added year-round.
• The annual 10-day Burlington Discover Jazz Festival, presented through a unique partnership with the city of Burlington and area businesses.

Supporting Artists

The Flynn Center encourages the creative development of new work by providing artists with in-kind and/or direct financial assistance. Flynn support for artists and the creative process takes many different forms.

• Artist Development Projects provide nationally recognized performing artists the use of Flynn Center facilities, housing, technical and administrative support, and time to explore new works.
  
• The Flynn co-commissions new works by nationally and internationally acclaimed artists and supports the development of new work by Vermont artists.
  

• The bi-annual New Arts Space Assistance (NASA) Grant provides Vermont artists or groups with the opportunity to develop, rehearse, and perform new work at the Flynn.

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A Leader in Arts Education

The Flynn Center’s educational programs connect audiences with the performing arts in deep and meaningful ways through a wide range of activities.

School Programs

• The Student Matinee Series, which annually offers more than 40 quality performances to as many as 45,000 schoolchildren in grades K-12.

• Companion workshops in schools to further engage students with the art forms and content presented in the student matinees.

• “Words Come Alive!” workshops in schools demonstrate how theater, dance, and drama activities can strengthen students’ understanding of and engagement with the curriculum. 

• Partnerships with selected school districts and programs in the region make the arts an integral part of educational life. Partners in 2008-09 include the Burlington  School District, the Grand Isle Supervisory Union,  the Greater Burlington YMCA, and, through the Kennedy Center’s Partners in Education program, the Chittenden South Supervisory Union. 

• Workshops and graduate courses for teachers, in collaboration with the Champlain Valley Educator Development Center and Saint Michael’s College, presenting ways to integrate the performing arts in the classroom.

FlynnArts and Community Arts Education

• FlynnArts, an associate member of the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts, is a year-round program of performing arts classes indance, theater, and music for children, teens, and adults.

• The Flynn Center is pleased to be an arts education partner with these vital community organizations: the King Street Youth Center, Vermont Symphony Orchestra, Shelburne Farms, Burlington City Arts, Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, ECHO Center, Ethan Allen Homestead, and the Winooski Valley Park District.

Meeting Community Needs

The Flynn partners with many area institutions and social service organizations to maximize the positive impact of visiting artists, to create synergies between related missions, and to bring the arts to bear on community issues. The Flynn Center reaches out to meet important community needs in a variety of ways:

• The PACT (Providing Accessible Community Tickets) Program partners with more than 70 Vermont social service agencies annually to make performances and activities accessible and affordable to nearly 2,000 people who might otherwise be unable to enjoy the arts.
  
  Thanks to for support of the PACT program for the 2008-09 season.
  

• Approximately 15 percent of Student Matinee Series tickets are provided at no cost , based on student need.
  

• Scholarships are made available to students in the FlynnArts performing arts education program, making participation possible for a wide range of students.
  

• Partnerships with the University of Vermont and Saint Michael’s College provide students, faculty, and staff with affordable access to Flynn performances and educational programs that are integrated into the curriculum across the academic spectrum. These partnerships also serve to make Flynn performances and other events an integral part of students’ social life and college experience.