By Andy Dahn
BLOOMINGTON – A late Illinois Wesleyan graduate who credited his success as a trial attorney to his theatre training at the university will have his legacy live forever on campus.
Jerome Mirza graduated from Illinois Wesleyan in 1960 and went on to become a well known attorney in both Bloomington and Chicago. The theatre in McPherson Hall was named the Jerome Mirza Theatre at a Monday night ceremony in recognition of a recent $2.5 million gift from the Mirza Foundation. Director of the School of Theatre Arts Thomas Quinn called the gift “potentially transformative.”
“This is a wonderful space, but it’s basically been in this condition with these materials since 1962,” Quinn said. “There are a lot of things that need to be refurbished, updated and replaced, and that’s where we’ll start. But beyond that, the sky is really the limit.”
President and Director of the Mirza Foundation Deborah Parsons explained what the gift means to the foundation.
“It secures a legacy for Jerome Mirza at his alma mater where he got his start academically, and where his love of theatre was fostered,” Parsons said. “For us, that’s the most important thing.”
Parsons said the joy demonstrated by students who attended Monday’s ceremony is what the gift is all about.
“That excitement is really what theatre does,” said Parsons. “It excites you and makes you alive with what is going on around you. The students really conveyed that today, and that was great. I really enjoyed that, it was my favorite part.”
Quinn said seeing the joy and excitement on the faces of students Monday night was a special moment.
“The students love this space,” said Quinn. “They love the campus, but they’re also aware of the limitations and some of the things that need to be worked on. It’s not a secret, we all know that there are things that could be improved on. This meant a lot to them.”
Once repairs and renovations are made to the Mirza Theatre the next few years, Quinn said other funds will likely go towards other university facilities and programs.
Andy Dahn can be reached at [email protected].
