The fully renovated Cunningham Theatre Center opened in fall 2009.

At one time, the Departments of Music, Art and Theatre were all housed within the old Cunningham Fine Arts Building. In 1992, Belk Visual Arts Center opened, with the dedication of Sloan Music Center coming 10 years later. Now, with the Cunningham renovation, facilities for all the fine arts at Davidson equal the skills of the faculty and surpass the imaginations of their students.

A feature story in the Winter 2009 Davidson Journal reveals how the Cunningham Theatre Center supports the wide-ranging curriculum offered in the Department of Theatre.

Even with the stunning Duke Family Performance Hall, Cunningham remains the heart of theatre at Davidson. Every class, every rehearsal, every one-on-one meeting with professors who are not only advisers, but mentors and friends, takes place in the Cunningham Theatre Center.

The new Rupert T. Barber Theatre is the performance centerpiece of the building, featuring flexible, modular features that can accommodate audiences as large as 150 to 175 in thrust, proscenium and in-the-round configurations. It also offers an intimate setting for audiences as small as 50, replacing the old Black Box Theatre, now transformed into additional scene construction space.

Features of the Cunningham Theatre Center:
• New lighting and sound systems in the Barber Theatre
• Expanded scene shop and assembly area with a loading dock
• A rehearsal/acting/directing classroom
• A seminar video room
• A 550-square-foot design classroom
• A fully wired classroom space
• Two dressing rooms with a shared make-up space
• A 125-square-foot area for sound design

View slideshow of architechtural renderings.