Art magic is made at the Mary D'Angelo Performing Arts Center. It opened in 1996 thanks to a generous gift from the D'Angelo family.

"It's been dubbed the miniature MET of Erie which suggests the caliber of talent that we are bringing to Erie," said Dr. Brett Johnson, the Artistic Director for the Mercyhurst Institute for Arts and Culture. 
 
Celebrities such as Comedian Martin Short, Broadway star Kristen Chenowith and the Tony Award Winning Betty Buckley, who spent a week on campus teaching Mercyhurst students, are among the star power that has graced the stage.
 
Braden Rosciszewski worked with all of those celebrities and was in that musical theatre workshop with Buckley. 
 
"She taught us several different methods to meditation to breathing techniques and it's been fantastic because I've been using them ever since the workshop," said Rosciszewski. "I've noticed a difference in my ability to focus, my performance abilities, my ability to sing, and the growth has been exponential since that workshop."
 
Dr. Johnson has worked to bring big names to the stage for what's called the MIAC Live Series.
 
"We've had so many artists that have had a positive experience that they then talk to their friends, their managers, their agents their publicists and say hey, I've had a positive experience at Mercyhurst University, and that makes it easier to get other people," said Dr. Johnson. 
 
Dr. Johnson also said, "Many of the artists that come to Mercyhurst are committed to education and what we're doing in training the next generation of emerging artists."
 
From University singers and dancers, to actors that take to the stage inside the state-of-the-art facility. All together the venue has 821 seats.
 
"We started an initiative shortly after I started that every Mercyhurst student could get a free ticket to any or all of these performances," said Dr. Johnson. 
 
The Mary D'Angelo Performing Arts Center hosts performances all throughout the year, making this venue a Community Gem.