Arts Quarter

Today, 30 percent of all William & Mary students participate in the performing arts, whether as musicians or actors, as ensemble members or theatre production staff.

These talented students require facilities and technology that meet the unique needs of the performing arts and provide a welcoming and vibrant presence in the Williamsburg community. The Music and Theatre & Performance Departments, however, were hampered by aging infrastructure, outdated technology and inadequate spaces.

To remedy these issues, William & Mary built a new Arts Quarter that was designed to create an exemplary environment for the performing arts. At the heart of this project is Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall (PBK). Originally built in 1956, PBK was renovated and expanded to encompass more than 105,000 square feet and returned to its former glory as a state-of-the-art facility. Adjacent to PBK is a new 75,000 square foot Music Arts Center. This project was completed in time for the start of the Fall 2023 semester.

By modernizing and expanding PBK and adding the new Music Arts Center, the university greatly enhances the community's existing hub for the performing arts. The Arts Quarter will strengthen the recruitment of accomplished students, faculty and visiting artists. It will transform the experience of performers and audience members alike. It will breathe new vitality into the Music and Theatre & Performance Departments and inspire the development of innovative curricula.

During the course of its history, PBK has been the home to the William & Mary Theatre program and host to the Virginia Symphony, the Virginia Arts Festival and dozens of other community groups. The project will enhance the university's ability to attract high-quality performance groups and events to the area and broaden the array of cultural offerings to the community

Completing the Arts Quarter with expanded state-of- the-art facilities gives William & Mary a vibrant center of creative activity that will shine for decades to come. State funding of approximately $132.5 million covered the core construction costs of the project. That support, however, does not provide for additional amenities such as advanced lighting and acoustics, or expensive equipment and instruments such as a pipe organ. Private philanthropy is essential for equipping these performance spaces with first-class features that will create an extraordinary performing arts experience for the entire William & Mary and Williamsburg communities.

Funding opportunities have been created to enhance and maintain each building and provide unrestricted support for the Music and Theatre & Performance departments. Named spaces are also available to fund these opportunities.

View the Arts Quarter Gallery

The new Arts Quarter features six modern performance venues with 1,500 audience seats in the 180,000 square foot facility:

Phi Beta Kappa

• 478-seat renovated Proscenium Theatre
• 250-seat new Studio Theatre
• 100-seat renovated Lab Theatre
• 60-seat new Dance Recital Theatre

Music Arts Center

• 450-seat new Concert Hall
• 125-seat new Recital Hall

Give to PBK and Theatre & Performance

Give to the Music Arts Center and Music Department

Dedicate a seat

With the re-opening of Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall and the opening of the Music Arts Center, now is the time to celebrate! Play your part by naming a seat for you, a loved one or a friend.

Dedicate a seat in the Glenn Close Theater

Funds raised from named seats will support the PBK Hall Enhancement and Maintenance Fund. With a gift of $1,500 per seat, your commitment will provide beneficial resources for our theatre and dance students and faculty in the years to come.

Name a seat in the Glenn Close Theatre

Dedicate a seat in the Concert Hall or Comey Recital Hall

Funds raised from named seats will support the Music Arts Center Enhancement and Maintenance Fund. With a gift of $1,500 per seat, Where your commitment will provide beneficial resources for our students and faculty in the Department of Music in the years to come.

Name a seat in the Concert Hall or Comey Recital Hall