Curtain Rises On New Theatre At Berry College

  • Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Rendering for the new theatre at Berry College
Rendering for the new theatre at Berry College

Berry College officials announced Atlanta philanthropist and Berry Board of Visitors member Audrey Morgan will match the first $1 million in gifts to build a new theatre with construction beginning in summer 2016. 

Ms. Morgan will match the gifts dollar for dollar until June 30, 2016, enabling early donors to double the impact of their gifts. 

“We learn so much about who we are as individuals and as a community through the arts,” Ms. Morgan said. “I am honored to help bring facilities to Berry that will give such wonderful, talented students new opportunity to grow artistically and personally. These improvements in support of the arts are important for the students and community at Berry and need to happen soon.” 

The stage was set for improved theatre education, production and performance facilities on the Berry campus when “LifeReady: The Berry College Campaign for Opportunity” was launched. 

The planned new $3.3 million theatre to be built adjacent to Blackstone Hall will provide a comfortable, intimate setting for an audience of 312. A large stage will be supported by state-of-the-art lighting, sound and curtain systems. In addition, the new facility will include a lobby with ticket and concession areas, as well as a “green room” for off-stage performers. 

The $1.9 million renovation of the main floor of Blackstone Hall that will follow will provide a large acting studio/classroom, an updated scene shop with paint booth, costume shop with dye area, dressing areas, meeting space and offices. 

Blackstone Hall, originally built by students as a dining facility in 1915, was repurposed to meet a growing interest in the theatre in the late 1970s. Blackstone’s E.H. Young Theatre was dedicated in 1982 and today remains the college’s primary performance venue for the dramatic arts. But theatre technology has advanced in ways that Blackstone Hall’s current configuration cannot support, said officials. 

Typically, more than 90 students work with faculty to stage five major productions each year. Ticket sales have expanded more than 50 percent in recent years as growing numbers of students, faculty and staff, and members of the Rome, Ga., community seek the artistic and cultural experience that theatre provides. 

“The arts are not simply entertainment,” said Berry College President Steve Briggs. “They are an integral part of how we grapple with our own nature, express our emotions and makes sense of our lives. Martha Berry believed that beauty was an essential part of an education, and she crafted a campus that is inspirational. In that same spirit, Audrey Morgan understands the significance of first-rate spaces for the arts.” 

Ms. Morgan’s commitment is the latest of many acts of generosity for Berry students. She supported construction of the Cage Center and both initiated and generously supported the Gate of Opportunity Scholarship Program. In 2013, she was awarded an honorary Berry College doctoral degree, and she serves as honorary co-chair of the LifeReady Campaign. 

For more information on the project, including naming opportunities, go to www.berry.edu/LifeReady.

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