WFU facilities team to star in ‘From the Ground Up’ on Hearn Plaza

This announcement was e-mailed to students, faculty and staff on Sept. 24 by Wake Forest Communications and External Relations:

Zero turn and walking wing mowers will move in unison. A telehandler, backhoe and skid steer will dance on Wake Forest University’s Hearn Plaza. For three nights, the University’s iconic Quad will be transformed into a stage to showcase the work of the facilities and campus services staff.

Students, faculty and staff are invited to attend the performance and celebrate Wake’s facilities team members. “From the Ground Up” will be held Oct. 3, 4 and 5 at 7 p.m. on Hearn Plaza. The event is also free and open to the public. Limited bleacher seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. There will be some space available on the lawn. Folding chairs and umbrellas are not permitted. The performance lasts approximately one hour.

More than 60 team members from Wake Forest Facilities and Campus Services, including custodial, maintenance and utilities, landscaping, construction, and waste reduction will be the stars of “From the Ground Up.” Using original choreography and music, the performance will highlight the grace and skill in the work that keeps campus running.

“From the Ground Up” is a collaboration between Wake Forest and Forklift Danceworks, a dance company based in Austin, Texas, whose mission is to use creative dance to build community. Wake Forest is one of three in a set of dances for campus employees, created through residencies at host colleges or universities.

Wake Forest’s Interdisciplinary Performance and Liberal Arts Center (IPLACe) was awarded grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New England Foundation for the Arts to help fund the interdisciplinary collaboration.

You can read more about “From the Ground Up” on the University news site.

Here’s what students, faculty and staff need to know ahead of the performance:

Staging and equipment on the Quad: Forklift Danceworks and Wake Forest Facilities and Campus Services will be preparing Hearn Plaza for the performance of “From the Ground Up.” Beginning Sept. 30, teams will be bringing scaffolding, lighting, staging, bleachers, and other equipment needed for the performance onto the Quad.

Parking lot closures: One-half of parking lot N will be blocked off Sept 30, Oct. 2, 3, 4 and 7. Traffic flow into Lot N on these days may be blocked at times. On Oct. 5, the entire lot will be closed all day. Parking Lots A and P will close at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 3 and Friday, Oct. 4 in order to empty out and to accommodate event parking in the evening. These parking lots will be available for faculty/staff parking during the day.

Increased activity and noise on Hearn Plaza: During rehearsals and the performances on Oct. 3, 4 and 5, students living in residence halls surrounding Hearn Plaza will experience more activity than usual between the hours of 6 and 9 p.m., including music and theatrical lighting. The performances are free and open to the public and a large number of local community members are expected to attend.

Getting around Hearn Plaza: Walkways around the Quad will be unavailable to pedestrians at various points during the show. Students are encouraged to use the side and front entrances to residence halls rather than Quad entrances during the performance hour between 7 and 8 p.m.

Hearn Plaza returns to normal: Facilities and Campus services expects the production materials will be completely removed from Hearn Plaza by Monday, Oct. 7.