St Mary's College of Maryland Bruce Davis Theatre

St Mary's City, Maryland

Story

M+J worked with the Planning, Theater, and Music departments to comprehensively plan and design the institution’s performing arts facilities, all of which serve multiple purposes for the 2000 student liberal arts college in southern Maryland.  
Following the goals set forth in the master plan the venue underwent significant architectural renovations. The overall condition of the facility and its systems had declined over the decades, leading to significant safety and functional problems. Deteriorated seating, lighting, and sound systems marginalized the flexibility and capacity of the theater to support the academic program. The original configuration of the balcony in the theater provided poor sight lines for some seats and posed significant safety issues and building code violations. To date, the space is primarily used for theatrical instruction and student presentations.
M+J created a new Black Box Theater out of the existing 6,400sf venue. The renovation removed the existing balcony,  upgraded the seating,  as well as provided new theater lighting, a new light and sound booth, new lobby entry, more flexible seating, new acoustical wall panels, and new flooring. Additionally more storage was added and the existing rooftop mechanical air handling unit was replaced. The theater renovation along with a prior Amphitheatre Study both involved the utilization and revitalization of an existing space. A third and final initiative carried out by M+J for the College involved the programming and planning of the College of Music, reviewing their criteria and performance needs and previously generated programmatic documentation.  
The college is a rapidly emerging institution in this area, having developed a school and program in Italy, and needing new facilities here in the United States. All three projects are conceived as supportive of a Master Plan that creates a cohesive campus.

Facts

  • Location: St mary's city, maryland
  • Postal code: 20686
  • Completion Date: 2009
  • Budget: $1,600,000
  • Size: 6,400.0 sq ft


Project Identification Number:

PP-OTR-5BBC-7DBB-73E8-FF24-0


Status: Completed


Tags

  • academic
  • Performing Arts
  • performing-arts


Project Credits:


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