Simms Center for the Performing Arts
The Simms Center for the Performing Arts includes Simms Auditorium and the Little Theatre.
Simms Auditorium
The end stage with a faux proscenium arch is acoustically tuned for chamber music, stringed instruments and voice with its decorative reflective surround. The Auditorium seats up to 538 in the fixed seating with the ability to add 31 seats on top of the orchestra pit cover. Catwalks above the stage and audience allow for theatrical lighting and rigging. In addition to functioning as a highly regarded chamber music venue, Academy music groups of all formats present as many as 30 concerts throughout the year. The Auditorium is also used for Academy dance concerts and fully produced musicals during the school year and for the summer program, as well as occasional community events including lectures and films.
Simms Little Theatre
Simms Little Theatre has an audience configuration that seats up to 171 with no person more than four rows from the stage. Above the stage is a tension wire grid for lighting and spot rigging. The Little Theatre is used for classes and up to four Academy play productions a year, as well as occasional community events including lectures and films.
The Music Building
The Music Building Performance Hall
The Music Building Performance Hall is an open floor plan, flexible seating space capable of seating as many as 200 people in configurations ranging from theater style to banquet arrangements. The unusually shaped space has acoustics that are ideal for intimate acoustic instrumentation and vocal music performances. With its large open floor space it is also an excellent space for movement activities, such as dance. The Performance Hall is used as a classroom space for dance and guitar, as a performance space for recitals and small groups, and for special event receptions and meetings.
The Music Building Outdoor Amphitheater
The Music Building Outdoor Amphitheater is a concrete, semi circular tiered seating, performance space modeled after the ancient Greek outdoor theaters with a stage and upstage reflective wall. The acoustics mimic the ancient Greek theaters providing a good open air space for softly spoken word and music presentations. The bench-style tiered seating accommodates approximately 160 to 180 people.