Facilities

Nazareth College Arts Center

The Arts Center houses the departments of Art, Music, and Theatre Arts, with classroom space and three different performance spaces. The Arthur J. and Marie M. Callahan Theater is used for two departmental productions each year; the Studio Theatre, a more intimate theatre space, has flexible seating for up to 100 people; and the Masters Theatre, a modified proscenium space, has seating for 181 people. Costume and scene shops are fully equipped.

The Arts Center presents a season of touring professional performing arts companies and/or individual artists each year and a season of family entertainment. The Rochester Children's Theatre is in residence and performs 3-4 times annually in extended runs. Theatre majors are often cast or part of the back stage work force. Both Garth Fagan Dance and the Rochester City Ballet also call the Nazareth College Arts Center home and are part of the subscription series. Full-time Nazareth students receive one free ticket to all Arts Center sponsored events upon presenting their Nazareth I.D. card at the Box Office.

For more technical specifications on the Arts Center and the Theatre Arts facilities, please visit the Arts Center web pages.

Arts Center Renovation

Last spring Nazareth College began a much-needed renovation of the Arts Center. When the Arts Center re-opens in September 2009, the enhancements will include:

Complete renovation of the 40-year-old Callahan Theater to transform the stage from a thrust style (extends into the audience on three sides) to a hybrid between a thrust and a proscenium or “picture frame” stage.
Installation of a stage fly system to allow technical crews to move sets, lights, and other stage materials quickly on- and off- stage.
Installation of a sprung floor, which makes the floor able to absorb the shocks of dancers’ and actors’ movements and provides added traction to reduce slipping.
Replacement of lighting, temperature, and air circulation systems.
Wing space on each side of the proscenium arch for scenery and entrances enhanced.
Revamping of seats for better sight lines and greater accessibility. The renovated theater will have more than 900 seats.
Creation of a more welcoming, formal entrance to the Arts Center at the level of the parking lot.
Construction of a larger, secure gallery space for art department to complement the Colacino Gallery.

Recent Performances

Recent performers have included Margie Gillis, an internationally acclaimed solo dance artist; "Capitol Steps," a group of former Congressional staffers turned satirists; Stage for Steel Magnolias Bale Folclorio da Bahia, a folk dance company highlighting the beauty of traditions with African, Native American, and European origins. Other performers have included Rich Little, Joan Rivers, Tom Chapin, and Loretta Swit.