Performing Arts Center

The University of Wyoming is poised to create the Performing Arts Center of the future, propelling its students and faculty to new heights of excellence and allowing its audiences to better experience these performances. The $35 million renovation and expansion of the existing Fine Arts building—built in 1972—into the Performing Arts Center will further this tradition of excellence and distinction.

The fine arts are about physicality, and so the environment in which they are created and performed—in terms of studio space and performance halls—is vitally important to the quality of their presentation. A state-of-the-art facility supports the creation of exceptional music and dance and theater.

Included in the design are performance spaces such as stunning new theatres and concert halls; studios for bands, vocal music, jazz, piano, dance, performance, lighting and sound, theatre design, and recording; conference and seminar rooms; dressing rooms; green rooms; the box office; practice rooms; offices and studios; and office support. Two additions on the east side will be to be linked to the building by an east lobby, which will be flanked by a new 256-seat Thrust Theatre to the north and an impressive new 100-seat Recital Hall to the south.

With nearly all of the funding in place, the Performing Arts Center is in the final planning stages. The Wyoming State Legislature allocated $14.2 million during the 2012 budget session for the project. Additional university resources will be used to fund the center including the university’s bonding authority.

The project is supported by a campaign to raise $2 million in private gifts to help fund this remarkable new university facility. The Performing Arts Center is an important public and private partnership for Wyoming’s university.

The Performing Arts Center is the second phase of UW’s investments in the arts, the first phase being the creation of the $33 million, 79,000-square foot Visual Arts Center. In total, the university and state have invested about $70 million in these two arts projects.

Designed by Tobin Associates and HGA Architects and Engineers, the Performing Arts Center will incorporate the campus architectural material pallet and design guidelines, which includes rough-hewn limestone buildings along traditional tree-lined quadrangles. The center will include  approximately 50,000 square feet of new construction and partial renovation of the existing 129,000-square-foot Fine Arts Center, which will house the Music Department, Theatre and Dance Department, Cultural Programs, and Fine Arts Outreach.

The center’s design and construction will be required to attain a silver-equivalent LEED rating (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), with alternative energy and systems approaches to sustainability.

The performing arts have a proud history at the University of Wyoming and continue to be a core of the UW experience. The renovation and expansion of the existing Fine Arts building into a new Performing Arts Center has potential to create enormous benefit for the university. The facility will become the centerpiece for the performing arts in Wyoming and the Rocky Mountain region. Furthermore, the project strengthens arts education and invites broader participation in the arts by the entire community.

Highlights of the Performing Arts Center

• The Performing Arts Center will include partial renovation of the existing 129,000-square-foot Fine Arts Center and approximately 50,000 square feet of new construction.
• The Performing Arts Center will be home to the Music Department, Theatre and Dance Department, Cultural Programs, and Fine Arts Outreach.
• Includes performance spaces such as theaters and concert halls; studios for bands, vocal music, jazz, piano, dance, performance, lighting and sound, theatre design, and recording; conference and seminar rooms; dressing rooms; green rooms; the box office; practice rooms; offices; offices and studios, and office support.
• Two additions on the east side will be to be linked to the building by an east lobby, which will be flanked by a new 256-seat Thrust Theatre to the north and a new 100-seat Recital Hall to the south.
• With nearly all of the funding in place, the Performing Arts Center is in the final planning stages. The Wyoming State Legislature allocated $14.2 million during the 2012 budget session for the project and an additional $12.2 million will be funded by the university’s bonding authority. Additional university resources will also be used to fund the project.
• As an important public/private partnership, it will also be supported by a campaign to raise $2 million in private gifts.