CAMPUS COMMONS PERFORMANCE HALL

The University of Northern Colorado, Greeley is a school widely known for its stellar School of Music, but had been living without a proper performance space for decades. The Visual Arts Department was in a similar situation with no professional-level gallery space for curated exhibitions and advanced studio teaching. Beginning in 2016, the University leadership began a project to create a proper “front door’ entrance to the campus through a student union complex that also incorporated a performing and visual arts center.

The 600-seat Campus Commons Theatre was specifically envisaged to house both a full orchestra and choir ensemble--sometimes simultaneously. The stage has a full fly tower with an operable shell and an orchestra pit lift to extend the apron. The performance hall and adjacent ensemble rehearsal studio each feature a system of adjustable acoustical drapes that modify the reverberant character of each room to accommodate choral, instrumental and jazz music. A multipurpose hall tuned for recital use and outfitted with telescopic seating was also added to serve as an augmented performance space and lecture hall as well as a special event venue for banquets in the flat floor configuration. To support the catering needs of these events across the complex, a full catering kitchen was installed.

It was important that the Campus Commons Art Gallery was more than a place to hang art on the walls. The Gallery was equipped with a pipe grid and full audio, video, power, and theatrical/gallery lighting to make it a versatile space to support year-round programming.

TheatreDNA provided full theatre planning, theatre design, and performance equipment design and specification services.