CREDIT: MELANIE ANDERSON
Fanshawe College President Howard Rundle proudly shows off the plans for Fanshawe’s new downtown campus, which is currently under construction.

Fanshawe College's new Centre for Digital and Performance Arts downtown is set to open in September. It will be home to 400 new students.

The building at 137 Dundas St. is just the start of the new $40 million downtown campus.

“The goal is to have at least one more building of this size, maybe two — to get to 1,000 students,” said Fanshawe President Howard Rundle. He's expecting a big return on investment: “All this new activity in the downtown core will contribute $80 million to London's downtown economy each and every year.”

The new building will have two clusters of programming: digital media and performance arts. Courses in the digital media sector will include Interactive Media, 3D Animation, Online Gaming, Internet Applications and Web Development.

“We hope and anticipate that our digital media students will become involved with the new light canopy that the city of London installed over Market Lane; we'll see some new funky LED light shows take place in that space,” said Donna McInnis, assistant manager of Fanshawe's Facilities Planning and Development.

There will also be new opportunities in the performing arts. “We currently have a Theatre Arts program that runs in the (Covent Garden) Market that we will be moving into the new centre, and we'll be adding two new programs with that; the first will be Theatre Production, this includes everything that happens behind the scenes, set design, construction, prop design, sound, lightning, special effects, and stage management,” explained Gary Lima, the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Media, Design.

Technical Costume Design is the second program to be introduced. Lima assured it was very different from Fanshawe's current Fashion Design program. The new program will teach students the technical and creative aspects of costuming for theatre and the film industry.

Performing Arts students as well the public will be able to enjoy the new “Black Box Space,” a theatre with glass sliding doors, allowing performances to spill out onto Market Lane. McInnis said the space will mimic Toronto's MuchMusic performance area.

Lima stressed the importance of students gaining hands-on experience and working with local companies. “When students are in the classrooms in these types of programs, it's only half of it; the other half of it is we really need to work with our industry partners and we've talked to the Grand (Theatre), we've talked to Digital Extremes and Big Blue Bubble and all the companies we can.”

Rundle stressed that the new campus will be positive for Fanshawe's future students as well as the City of London.

“More and more cities are attracting post-secondary students into their core because it brings population, it brings young people, and it brings vitality.”

Construction began in September 2011 and is targeted for completion mid-summer. According to McInnis, construction is on schedule, but work being done outside of the building will be put on hold for the World Figure Skating Championships in March.

“This will enable access for the world to enjoy the newly rejuvenated Market Lane and celebrate with Londoners this new vibrant space,” she said. “However, once the Games are done, we'll be hard at work.”