HAMPTON — Virginia Peninsula Community College officials announced the rededication of the theater in Templin Hall on the Hampton Campus is scheduled for Jan. 10.
“We are thrilled to be nearing completion on the theater and cannot wait to bring the visual and performing arts back to campus through this restored and renewed space,” VPCC President Towuanna Porter Brannon said of the new Mary T. Christian Theatre.
Added theater manager David Garrett: “We’re just really excited to welcome the community back.”
The college said facility’s namesake remains the same, with two small modifications. One is it will be the Mary T. Christian Theatre, rather than auditorium.
“With the rebuild, the college is investing in state-of-the-art technology and features to elevate the space and enhance the level of artistic expression it can support,” said a representative from the VPCC president’s office. “While both terms could apply, ‘theatre’ better reflects the vision for the future of the venue. Not only do we desire to host public speaking events, large meetings, and lectures typical in an ‘auditorium’ but also concerts, plays, musicals, and other performing arts productions.”
The college said the second slight change is using the British spelling of “theatre.”
“It was simply a stylistic choice that felt appropriate given the elevated artistic direction of the space,” the representative said.
Theatergoers and performers will notice changes, some subtle, some not, with the facility, the college said.
Garrett said the new space is brighter and more open, with 494 seats, including six accessibility seats. The old facility sat 470.
“The Mary T. Christian Auditorium, while a beautiful facility, had more of a wrap-around seating, especially in regard to the balcony,” he said. “So, there were challenges with our sight lines in the previous space, and we would usually try to not open balcony left or right because those seats were not necessarily a great viewpoint for what was happening on stage.”
With the new arrangement, each seat has a better line of sight to the stage, and almost all the seats face forward, the college said. In addition, the seats on the extreme right and left, both in the balcony and the main floor, have been eliminated.
“The audience is in a much better position when they’re watching events happening inside the proscenium,” he said.
There are multiple accessible entrances to the building, spacious public restrooms on both floors immediately adjacent to the theater, and a sensory-friendly respite room conveniently located off the lobby, according to the college.
VPCC said other changes include the addition of a counterweight system, which will make set changes easier; more space stage right, allowing for quicker access for prop and costume changes; and the shape of the orchestra pit has gone from a harsh rectangle to more rounded.
“I don’t know how else to quantify it, but it just feels more welcoming and engaging with the shape of the stage,” Garrett said of the pit.
He added the atmosphere is warmer and brighter.
“They went with a much lighter wood tone, and these gorgeous acoustic panel lighting structures on the left and right,” he said. “It feels light and airy.”
Community organizations were welcomed to use the old space and will be again, the college said. Garrett said he has missed having them.
“We loved having our community in that space,” he said, adding they will enjoy the new space. “When you walk in, it feels powerful. It feels like, ‘Come on in and take a seat and enjoy.’”
He added when he spends time there, he doesn’t notice the hours going by.
“It just feels welcoming and like it’s ready to receive you,” he said.
Renovation of the theater was necessitated after the roof of the old theater collapsed in April 2021. With the building and campus closed due to the pandemic, no one was injured.
The project, designed by RRMM Architects, was expected to cost $17 million and was funded mostly by the Virginia Community College System and insurance, according to the college.
For more information on the college, visit vpcc.edu.
