Theatre Arts majors at the Boiler House Theatre

Performing Arts Facilities & Galleries

Davis & Elkins College features excellent performing arts facilities, which benefit students and our regional community.

Music, Dance and Convocations

Harper-McNeeley Auditorium has a seating capacity of 1,300 and can accommodate musical performances by symphony orchestras and small ensembles, as well as dance and other stage productions with free-standing sets. It is the largest performance hall in the region. The auditorium includes a staging area downstairs, with dressing rooms. Practice rooms and studio spaces are located near the auditorium with the same building, the Hermanson Campus Center.

Recitals and small musical events are also held in the College's Halliehurst Mansion. The Great Hall can accommodate small to medium-size audiences and is popular for student performances, receptions and dances.

Students will also find a small performance space, used by guest artists and student performers alike, in the Madden Student Center. The small stage in the Timms Lounge is perfect for standup acts and other spoken word events.

Theatre

The Boiler House Theatre is a stunning facility created from the College's original steam heating plant, which was constructed in 1924. In 1975, it was renovated into a flexible stage theater capable of housing theatrical productions in a wide variety of configurations. Subsequent renovations over the next 20 years moved the Studio Theatre into the Boiler House, and in 1997, an extensive new lobby area with Box Office, Concession Space, and new patron restrooms was added. The Boiler House also includes production space for our Design and Technical Theatre classes and production crews. These include a well-equipped scene shop and backstage space for the Studio Theatre.

Our scene shop is equipped to work with everything from foam to steel. Stocked with a wide array of tools and equipment, it provides the opportunity to work with the tools and materials used by professional scene shops. Just as the Studio Theatre is where actors and directors learn their craft, this is where the real learning takes place for theatre designers and technicians. Being able to apply the knowledge acquired in class to the practical world of theatre gives the student a more well-rounded college theatre experience.

The Studio Theatre is home to everything from Acting and Directing classes to Student Productions and Projects. Equipped with its own lighting and sound systems, the Studio Theatre provides an independent space for exploration and growth during a student's tenure at D&E. This space is also home to the local chapter of Alpha Psi Omega (National Honorary Theatre Fraternity).

Today, the Boiler House stands as one of the most interesting and usable theater spaces in the region. Equipped with a state of the art computer lighting system and a large inventory of conventional lighting instruments, the Boiler House can handle almost any lighting need and configuration of theatrical staging. The 1997 renovation also moved the Light Control Booth inside the historic smoke stack, giving the light board operator a clear view of the entire Boiler House stage. It is truly one of the most unique booth configurations you may ever see.

Galleries

D&E showcases the visual arts in four facilities across campus. The Hermanson Campus Center features exhibit space in the student lounge right inside the lobby. Upstairs, next to the Harper-McNeeley Auditorium balcony, is the Paull Gallery. This large, open space is used by the Department of Fine & Performing Arts for student and guest exhibits.

The Booth Library often hosts guest exhibits featuring regional artists. Exhibits change two to three times each year.