Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

California Private High School Completes New Community Performing Arts Center

  • By Matt Jones
  • 07/16/24

Sonoma Academy—a private, co-ed college preparatory school in Santa Rosa, Calif.—recently announced that construction is complete on a new, 350-seat Community Performing Arts Center, according to a news release. The facility will play home to the school’s music, theater, and film productions and host various types of programming for the community at large. The school partnered with Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA) and WRNS Studio for the project’s design, DPR Construction for construction, and The Shalleck Collaborative as a theatrical consultant.

“The opening of the Community Performing Arts Center marks the start of a new era for our school,” said Tucker Foehl, Head of School at the Sonoma Academy. “This beautiful, state-of-the-art facility will provide a gathering place for our school community and a home for our stellar theater, music and dance programs. The high-tech features and thoughtfully designed spaces will allow us to stage more ambitious productions and involve more student performers than ever before. Equally exciting is the opportunity we have to welcome the surrounding community to our campus, as we expand our roster of events and develop partnerships with other local organizations.”

The facility measures in at 27,500 square feet and includes amenities like a 350-seat theater, stage, full orchestra pit, and supporting spaces. The AV system uses a Dolby Laboratories sound system and a Christie Digital 4K laser projector. Other amenities include an Actors Studio with a classroom and rehearsal space, a scene ship for backdrops and stage scenery, dressing rooms, additional classroom and storage space, and a lobby and box office, according to the news release. Sustainability features include energy-efficient lighting and HVAC systems, as well as a displacement heating and cooling system for audience seating.

“It has been a remarkable experience to work alongside Sonoma Academy and the collaborative project team to design this truly remarkable and cutting-edge performing arts building,” said Steve Kwok, QKA Principal Emeritus. “The various spaces will allow students to participate in the complete production of a performance, and it will certainly be an invaluable community asset.”

About the Author

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

Featured

  • FGCU Breaks Ground on New Health Sciences Building

    Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) has launched construction on a major new academic facility that leaders say will reshape healthcare education in Southwest Florida for decades to come, according to university news.

  • Utah Valley University Opens New Engineering Building

    Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, recently held a grand-opening ceremony for the new Scott M. Smith Engineering Building, according to a news release. The facility is one of the largest engineering buildings in the state at almost 200,000 square feet, and it plays home to the university’s Smith College of Engineering and Technology (SCET).

  • Construction Begins on New University Research Vessel

    Boat-building company All American Marine recently announced that it has begun construction on a new catamaran research vessel for the University of Texas Marine Science Institute (UTMSI) in Port Aransas, Texas, according to a news release.

  • UTampa Breaks Ground on STEM Academic Facility

    The University of Tampa in Tampa, Fla., recently broke ground on one of its largest academic facilities ever, according to a news release. The Dickey Science Innovation Center will measure 153,000 square feet and has a scheduled completion date of fall 2028.