Dartmouth Give a Rouse Tour

December 2022. New York, Boston, Washington DC, Chicago, San Francisco

To celebrate all that Dartmouth alumni, friends and family have done to make The Call to Lead capital campaign an audacious success, Dartmouth continued to collaborate with Empire to produce the event series titled Give a Rouse in late 2022, convening the Dartmouth community and thanking them for their contributions and support.

Following the inaugural event of the series at New York City’s Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Give a Rouse tour continued on to four more shows around the nation: Wang Theatre Boch Center, Boston; Warner Theatre, Washington D.C.; Moonlight Studios, Chicago and August Hall, San Francisco. Hosting over 1,300 guests, the cross-national event was a huge success.

Each event followed a similar format, with adaptations and localizations for each city. Upon arrival, guests were met with a Dartmouth-themed exterior presence and live music experience. Guests registered at Dartmouth-branded, wooden check-in desks and then entered a theater space to enjoy the program.

The stage program included monumental screen projections showcasing the March Forward video that told the story of A New Day at Dartmouth and summarized the achievements of The Call to Lead comprehensive campaign. The program paid tribute to Dartmouth’s outgoing president, Philip J. Hanlon, and re-energized the community about how Dartmouth’s future leaders will shape a better world.

The conclusion of the stage program included a multimedia effects sequence that combined video projection, animated special effects, remote-activated light-up bracelets and theatrical lighting to emphasize the idea of Dartmouth “greenlighting” the future.

Excited guests wearing bracelets lit in green exited the theater program to attend the after-party. Guests mixed, mingled, and networked while enjoying a curated menu of food and drinks; a live jazz band; and multiple activities, including ping-pong on green and white tables, a photo booth in which they posed in a canoe, an interactive social media wall, and a variety of Instagram-worthy backdrops including a large sculptural installation of the Dartmouth wordmark.

Empire worked closely with several Dartmouth departments, faculty, alumni, and volunteers, as well as many creative, communications, production, and events partners to plan and execute the events. Empire’s role included concept development, venue acquisition, registration, run of show and program development, scripting, screen content production, technical production, catering, permitting, security, scenic, décor, budgeting, staffing, and guest logistics & experience.

Empire is honored to work with Dartmouth to help them scale their unique educational model around the world. The Call to Lead raised over $3.7 billion overall to realize three overarching goals: advancing Dartmouth’s distinctive educational model to its fullest potential; making discoveries that improve the human condition; and preparing students for lives of wise leadership. To learn more about The Call to Lead: a Campaign for Dartmouth, visit: https://calltolead.dartmouth.edu/

Empire is a leading producer of high-level events, both on and off campus, for Ivy League schools and many of the world’s leading educational institutions.

Newsletter Sign up