Wander through the shops and restaurants and hotels of downtown Brookhaven and you’ll find evidence of the town’s artistic legacy everywhere. This creative spirit has been a major driver for decades, dating back to the 1937 founding of the Mississippi School of the Arts in the heart of downtown Brookhaven.
Today, the school operates as a public, residential high school for Mississippi students in the 11th and 12th grades—delivering intensive training in art forms including dance, literature, media arts, visual arts, and vocal music. Despite Mississippi’s rich artistic heritage, the school’s executive director Suzanne Hirsch notes that, “There is limited access to arts education across the state. MSA offers any Mississippi student with demonstrated talent from across the state to come study intensively with master teachers in the arts, as part of a public school.”
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Image courtesy of Brookhaven Mississippi
Mural at the Mississippi School for the Arts
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Image courtesy of Brookhaven Mississippi
Ballet instruction at the Mississippi School for the Arts
The school was developed in partnership with the City of Brookhaven as a centerpiece for the downtown community—allowing students a safe, vibrant place to call home and the city to benefit from their ideas and talents. The school hosts regular events, inviting the community into its fold for literary readings, arts exhibits, dramatic performances, dance recitals, chorale concerts, and film festivals. This summer, MSA will offer a one-week intensive summer camp program for local students in grades 8-10. Participants will study with the school’s master faculty and gain training in creative writing, dance, theatre, visual arts, filmmaking, and vocal music.
While exploring the old campus, visitors will encounter many of the college’s original historic buildings, now restored and renovated to serve as dorms, classrooms, theaters, and exhibition spaces. Highlights include the 1883 Johnson Institute, the 1913 Elizabeth Cottage, and the old dormitories at Enochs Hall, which were built in 1920.
Another longstanding local arts institution—the Brookhaven Little Theater (BLT)— is just a five-minute walk down Cherokee. Founded in 1968, BLT is Mississippi’s longest continuously-running community theatre, and has been staging high quality productions of musicals, dramas, and Broadway hits since the beginning. Recent performances have included Into the Woods, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella, and The Wizard of Oz.
Founded in 1968, Brookhaven Little Theatre is Mississippi’s longest continuously-running community theatre
Led and sustained by impassioned volunteers—a testament to the community’s deeply entrenched dedication to the arts—the theater also offers educational opportunities for area youth through its teen and kids camps, which will run this summer. Catch two teen performances in June—Mean Girls, Jr. will be on stage from May 28–June 9, and Finding Nemo Kids from June 17–18.
Learn more about the Brookhaven arts community at msabrookhaven.org, brookhavenlittletheatre.com, and visitbrookhavenms.com.
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