Union Colony Civic Center

Ashley B.‘s review is excellent. Beyond what she has written, I must add a lament. The first performance I attended here was a performance that included Beethoven’s «Figaro», conducted by Dr. Howard Skinner. That hooked me completely. I bought season tickets, up close, attended regularly. Dr. Skinner conducted the orchestra in performing the genuine classics, focused naturally on Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, and the most beautiful Wagner I had ever heard in my life. I don’t recall that he performed anything he himself had composed; and I don’t recall any dependence on modern composers. I’m certain that if the UCCC decides to focus on the proven masters once again (those four and more), I will get season tickets again, for myself and my family.
Stage performances range from somewhat poor to superb. I think that depends largely on who makes up the committee that selects and invites performers. I’ve heard what different members think will raise attendance. I understand their perspectives. Results are a good guide: when there is low turn-​out, that type of performance should be let go for a while; likewise, when there is high turn-​out, more of that type of performance will bring in the people. People who enjoyed Riverdance might not like Pilobolus; I enjoyed both. People who enjoyed «Young Frankenstein» might not like «Rent»; I liked only the first. People who enjoy Shakespeare. .. won’t get half as much as they would like.
Prices can be pretty steep; on the other hand, there are also performances that are pretty inexpensive to get seats for. Now and then there is a free performance, such as that by the Army Band.

2012 Review #17:
The U-​Triple-​C is a place that any arts student at UNC will spend hundreds of hours in over the course of their education. Part venue, part college-​experience-​squelching-​obligation, this venue sees a wide variety of entertainment and cultural events pass through during the year. Turing shows and plays come through (though no big deal Broadway shows), as well as a fair amount of B-​list orators and comedians (Paula Poundstone, etc.).
The UCCC is strangely attached to the Greeley recreational center, so if you’re not too careful, you’ll go from watching some lovely barbershop quartet to being in the middle of seniors only jazzercise. Many UNC performing ensembles now use the UCCC as their venue of choice, such as the jazz bands, choirs and orchestras. The box office is open seemingly all the time, and they’ve always been pretty accommodating. There are lots of extra spaces in this large hall, so for festivals such as the Western States Honor Orchestra Festival held in November, there are rehearsal, conference, master-​class and sectional spaces all available.
The backstage area has a nice, large green room complete with kitchenette and several dressing rooms. Although I have performed in ensembles at the UCCC more times than I can count, I actually have also been a soloist here. The dressing rooms all have bathrooms, some with showers, extremely well-​lit vanity mirrors, closets, nice high coat hooks, etc. They even have couches that I may or may not have taken a pre-​concert nap on. The immediate backstage/​loading area is surprisingly soundproof, so as you watch your performance, you won’t be aware that there could be hundreds of people waiting backstage, talking and playing loudly. There are multiple entrances on/​off backstage so that you don’t have many potential collisions.
As a performance space, it has 3 – 4 levels of seating, so it is a lot of space to fill up with sound, especially for a soloist. However, it was engineered in such a way so that a soloistic sound is not difficult to make project to the back of the hall. The sound quality is deceptive to the performer’s ear, though– the hall takes a lot of the sound immediately, which helps it project but also makes it difficult to determine one’s volume. My experiences and performances here all went well, from the support of the staff to the quality of the hall itself. Parking can be tight, but neighborhood street parking is available and free. The UCCC is worth a visit for a local collegiate performance or a touring ensemble.