Staff Spotlight: Julia Shildmyer-Heighway, Director of Education & Community Engagement

2/5/2020 12AM

Alongside our Center Presents concerts and the fine work of our Resident Companies, the Center takes pride in its year-round schedule of educational and experiential programming for folks of all ages.

 

The human whirlwind behind those programs is Julia Shildmyer-Heighway, a graduate of Marion High School and Indiana University’s Department of Theatre and Drama. On staff for five years, Julia handles everything from our Peanut Butter & Jam concerts and Palladium PALS reading club for kids, to our Luminaries lecture series and our no-holds-barred standup comedy class for grownups. Summer camps. Science class field trips to the Palladium. Educational videoconferences. College internships.

 

Yes, the ukulele, dance and vocal classes too. And, well, she also helps book the shows. And ...

 

Amid the bustle, Julia graciously agreed to pause for a moment and tell us about her world.

 

In a nutshell, what do you do around here?

My role is to create and facilitate programs and experiences that actively engage people, of all ages and abilities, in the performing arts. I’m always telling people to check out the “Learn” tab on our website to discover all the classes, camps, school programs, speaker series, book club offerings, etc., we offer. I also serve on the Center’s programming team, which seeks out and books the artists we present in our three venues.

 

Are you now, or have you ever been, a performing artist?

I have! After graduating from IU, I lived in Chicago and some other cities, performing in summer stock, dinner theater, regional theater and Shakespeare in the Park. I made a few television commercials as well. When I first started working at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis in the 1980s, everyone thought I was computer expert because I had made a commercial for a career school about the incredible “degree I earned in computer technology.” The commercial ran so often, people would stop me in stores and ask computer advice. They didn’t know that I had never touched a computer until I made that commercial, and my degree was in theater!

 

What are your interests or hobbies outside the Center?

I am an avid runner and swimmer and occasional cyclist. My two favorite open-water swims have been Alcatraz to San Francisco and the Statue of Liberty to New Jersey. Later this year, I’m hoping to do a trail race followed by an open-water swim in Santorini, Greece.

 

How else are you involved in the community?

I picked up team swimming when I turned 50, and I swim on the Noblesville Adult Swim Team Inc., aka NASTI, a masters team for people over 18. I also serve on the Board of Directors for the nonprofit Friends of Central Pool. Some 20+ years ago, the city of Noblesville was going to close and fill in the Forest Park Aquatic Center, but the team took over and has voluntarily managed the pool for the past two decades. Our biggest fundraiser each year is Noblesville Brewfest & Wine Garden, for which I serve on the planning team, handling marketing and online ticket sales.

 

When you’re chilling on your own time, what musical artists do you listen to?

That kind of depends on what I’m doing. I have a waterproof iPod for swimming that has different music on it from my running iPod, which has a special playlist just for races. I like a variety of music, but my favorite genre are the singer-songwriter types: David Gray, Dave Matthews, Cat Stevens, CSN&Y, etc.

 

Who has been your favorite performer at the Center?

There have been so many amazing performances here, but this is an easy one for me: David Gray! I love his music and have seen him multiple times in other venues. When I first started working at the Center, I was asked, “Who is the one performer you’d like to see here?” Of course, I replied, “David Gray.” I thought someone was pulling my leg the day they told me he had been booked.