Page 38 - Innovation Delaware 2019

The arts scene does not end at the New Castle County border. “Many people don’t realize how rich and diverse the arts and entertainment scene is in Sussex County,” says Tina Coleman of Visit Southern Delaware.
Take, for instance, the Cinema Art Theatre, which offers independent films and film festivals, and the Freeman Stage at Bayside and The Milton Theatre, which host performances by national and regional acts.
A SPIRIT OF ARTISTIC INNOVATION
Arts organizations often collaborate. Delaware Shakespeare, which creates year-round professional theater and educational programs, is a prime example.
“Delaware Shakespeare has always depended on the kindness of strangers,” says David Stradley, the producing artistic director.
Del Shakes has an office in OperaDelaware’s studios, where it
also rehearses. “Over the years, we’ve collaborated on programming with the Delaware Art Museum, The Grand Opera House, First State Ballet Theatre and the University of Delaware.”
City Theater Company — Delaware’s “off-Broadway” — and Fearless Improv last year moved productions from OperaDelaware to space in The Grand. “Fearless Improv tripled their audience,”
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DAVID STRADLEY
says Kramer-Fitzgerald, who’s been on the board.
The musical ensemble Mélomanie plays at the Delaware Historical Society. Such collaborations, Stradley says, are the “Delaware way.”
GARDENS AND PIRATES
The Delaware Historical Society is one of several societies that manage museums and historic sites. Another is the Lewes Historical Society, which has a campus of old structures and the new Lewes History Museum.
Top museums in greater Wilmington include Winterthur Museum & Gardens, the 175-room former home
of Henry Francis du Pont, an American horticulturist and collector of early American furniture and decorative arts; Nemours Mansion & Gardens, the former home of Alfred I. du Pont; and Hagley Museum & Library, the scenic birthplace of the DuPont Co.
Of course, not all of Delaware’s top museums are in the I-95 corridor — Sussex County has 26 museums. “Expert docents bring the area’s history to
life with stories of shipwrecks, pirates and their booty, storms and political intrigue,” Coleman says.
CUTTING-EDGE HEALTH CARE
Delaware is a hotbed for medical care and research. Christiana Health
Care System is consistently named a Best Hospital by U.S. News & World Report, has two hospitals, a Level I trauma center and a Level III neonatal intensive care unit. Nemours Children’s Health System is at the forefront of pediatric care and research.
Bayhealth’s new campus at the border of Kent and Sussex counties will have an outpatient center and medical offices. Another downstate provider, Beebe Healthcare, is expanding rapidly to cover the growing population of Sussex County.
Christiana Care is a teaching health system with more than 260 residents and fellows, and Beebe Healthcare is home to the Margaret H. Rollins School of Nursing.
BAYHEALTH’S NEW CAMPUS
HIGHER LEARNING
Students interested in innovation
have a wealth of higher-education options in Delaware. Delaware State University, one of America’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities, has 42 undergraduate and 16 master’s degrees. The University of Delaware is a Land Grant, Sea Grant and Space Grant institution. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classifies UD as a research university with “very high research activity,” a designation accorded to less than 3% of U.S. colleges and universities. UD ranks among the nation’s top 100 universities in federal R&D support for science and engineering.
Delaware Technical Community College offers more than 100 programs of study, including bachelor’s degrees, associate degrees, certificates and diplomas. Goldey-Beacom College offers business-oriented courses of study. Wilmington University’s programs include online degrees and flexible course options for working adults. Wesley College is a co-ed liberal arts college that offers 30 majors. ID
JOE DEL TUFO/MOONLOOP PHOTOGRAPHY