Performance Place Overview
The Performance Place complex consists of three performance venues and two rehearsal studios which share a common lobby, Green Room and dressing rooms. The complex also has a wig and makeup room, a costume maintenance facility, and a sound design laboratory. Performance Place serves as the principle performance and teaching facility for the School of Drama and the School of Design and Production. The UNCSA Jazz Ensemble and the A. J. Fletcher Opera Institute also use Performance Place for concerts.
Performance Place construction began in 1987. The complex originally consisted of the Proscenium/Thrust Theatre, the Catawba Arena and a rehearsal studio. Performance Place was dedicated November 9, 1988, with UNC President C.D. Spangler Jr. in attendance. The venues' inaugural performances were productions of Much Ado About Nothing, The Crucible, and Holy Ghosts.
In 2001, work began on the next phase of the Performance Place complex. In 2003, the Patrons Theatre and the Sheila Cobb Rehearsal Studio were opened.
^ TOPProscenium/Thrust Theatre
Click Here for Proscenium Thrust 360 View
The Proscenium Thrust Theatre is located on the upper ground level of Performance Place and is similar in design to the Circle Repertory Theatre in New York and the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis. It is an optimal performance space for drama with 358 seats that surround, on three sides, a thrust stage. No seat is more than 36 feet away from the stage. The audio mixing position is located in the back of the house.
The upstage proscenium is equipped with a single purchase counterweight fly system. This is the only on-campus venue with a permanent fly house available for flying scenery. The upstage wall is equipped with a projection bubble which enables full-stage, rear-screen projection.
^ TOPCatawba Arena Theatre
Click Here for Catawba Arena Theatre 360 View
The Catawba Arena Theatre is located just off the lobby of Performance Place. This arena is a small, flexible stage with seating for 200. The audience seating consists of seven movable sections of 25 seats, two palettes of 5 seats each and three palettes of 3 seats each. Each seating section is on casters and can be moved within the arena to any configuration required for a production. While the audience seating sections are movable, because of the size of these units and the design of the Catawba Arena Theatre, all seating sections must remain in the arena performance space. Please contact Campus Performance Facilities to discuss possible configurations of these seating sections.
Over the arena is a suspended grid of wire rope. Technicians walk out over this grid to hang scenery and lights for each production. The lights are focused through this wire rope grid onto the scenery and the acting areas.
The Catawba Arena Theatre has a hallway that completely circles the theatre. This hallway provides access to the performance space for both the audience and the performers. It is also the only backstage area available for props tables, scenery storage, quick change booths and other required production space.
^ TOPPatrons Theatre
The new Patrons Theatre opened in 2004 and is located on the main level of Performance Place. This arena theatre seats approximately 100 persons. The audience seating consists of individual chairs on the floor and on risers. Various seating arrangements can be accommodated.
The Patrons Theatre has a permanent lighting and sound booth located one story above the stage deck. The theatre is equipped with a permanent 5' by 5' pipe grid consisting of 1.5" schedule 40 steel pipe. This pipe grid is used for both lighting and scenery. This venue also has sprung performance floor of approximately 2400 square feet.