WILLIAMSBURG — William & Mary hosted a press preview tour of its renovated Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall and new music building on Aug. 28.
Both are opening for the current academic year.
Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall will house both the theatre and dance departments at the university for the first time in the university’s history.
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Dance Recital Laboratory (WYDaily/Jillian Appel) -
Warm-up space (WYDaily/Jillian Appel) -
(WYDaily/Jillian Appel) -
Newly Renovated Proscenium Theatre (WYDaily/Jillian Appel) -
(WYDaily/Jillian Appel) -
Prop Shop (WYDaily/Jillian Appel) -
Main area (WYDaily/Jillian Appel) -
(WYDaily/Jillian Appel) -
(WYDaily/Jillian Appel) -
Costume shop (WYDaily/Jillian Appel)
Renovation highlights for PBK Memorial Hall include:
- A 492-seat renovated Proscenium Theatre
- A New 250-seat Studio Theatre
- A 100-seat renovated Lab Theatre
- A 60-seat new Dance Recital Theatre
- Spaces for recital, rehearsal and dance
- Scenic design and construction lab spaces
- Costume construction and conservation areas
- Media and design labs
- Dressing rooms
- Acting labs, classrooms and seminar rooms
- Faculty offices
- A departmental library
“We are thrilled for the opportunities that these beautiful new spaces afford our students and faculty,” said Suzanne Raitt, dean of the faculty of Arts & Sciences. “The influence of the arts at William & Mary is evident in all aspects of campus life, seamlessly woven into the fabric of our learning and activities.”
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Choral Rehearsal Space (WYDaily/Jillian Appel) -
Historic Keyboards (WYDaily/Jillian Appel) -
Recital Hall (WYDaily/Jillian Appel) -
Concert Hall (WYDaily/Jillian Appel) -
(WYDaily/Jillian Appel) -
Classroom space (WYDaily/Jillian Appel) -
Recording Studio (WYDaily/Jillian Appel)
The new music building’s highlights include:
- A 450-seat Concert Hall
- A 125-seat Recital Hall
- Choral rehearsal space
- A recording studio
- An electronic music lab, keyboard lab and digital projects lab
- Space for instrumental rehearsal
- Specialized percussion studio
- Historic keyboards
- A new pipe organ
- Instrument and score storage
- Faculty studios
- Classrooms
- Practice spaces
The inaugural show for the new buildings will be a performance of “Nine” by a group of dancers from the Leah Glenn Dance Theatre and selected W&M students on Sept. 9 at 7:30 p.m. The event serves as the soft opening of PBK Memorial Hall and will be free and open to the public. A dedication and open house will take place Oct. 19 at 4 p.m. at PBK as part of Homecoming & Reunion Weekend.
“I’m really excited about sharing what we do and have to offer with the community, not just the William & Mary community but the greater Williamsburg community of Hampton Roads,” said Leah Glenn, Year of the Arts Professor of Dance.
For more information about the new building and William & Mary’s continued work on the Arts Quarter, visit the official webpage.
