Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Ohio University Plans $8M Theatre Renovation

  • By Matt Jones
  • 09/15/21

Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, announced this week that it is planning an $8-million theatre renovation project. The Gates-Abegglen Theatre, a traditional proscenium theatre that serves as one of two major performance spaces for the university, has not seen any major improvements since its construction in 1969. A local news outlet reports that the 385-seat venue will be updated to be able to provide a wider variety of performance types and instructional use.

“It’s definitely time to be renovated, just in terms of its age,” said Robert Bell, university architect and director of planning, architecture and engineering. “But we’re taking the opportunity to make it more functional for a broader user group.”

Renovations will include reconstructing audience seating, a new forward stage configuration, new lighting, new curtain systems, a new control booth and the potential addition of a balcony. Part of the renovation process also involves creating a dedicated rehearsal space equal to the size of the theatre’s stage.

According to the university website, the Gates-Abegglen Theatre is equipped with a 35 line fly system, a spiral-drive pit lift and wing space. The space hosts two or three major theatre productions per year directed by faculty or guest artists. The space is managed by the Miami University Department of Theatre.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Round Rock ISD Completes New Early College High School

    Round Rock ISD near Austin, Texas, recently announced that construction is complete on a new, 46,500-square-foot campus for Early College High School, according to a news release. The new facility will allow the school’s students and staff to move from portables into a permanent building and increase its enrollment to 500.

  • NWEA Report Recommends K–12 Natural Disaster Recovery Strategies

    The Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA), a K–12 assessment and research organization, recently announced the release of a new playbook for schools and communities recovering from extreme weather events, according to a news release.

  • Image courtesy of Kahler Slater

    UW–Madison Announces Completion of Morgridge Hall

    The University of Wisconsin–Madison recently announced that construction is complete on Morgridge Hall, a new academic building, according to a news release. The facility opened September 3 at the start of the fall semester, consolidating the School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences into a single facility for the first time.

  • Spaces4Learning Trends & Predictions for Educational Facilities in 2026: Part I

    We asked, you answered, and the results are in! Last year, we put out a call for submissions to collect our readership’s opinion on trends and predictions for K–12 and higher education facilities in 2026.