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 The Music and Theatre, Speech & Dance Departments, however, are currently hampered by aging infrastructure, outdated technology and inadequate spaces.

To remedy these issues, William & Mary is building a new Arts Quarter that is 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 will be renovated and expanded to encompass more than 105,000 square feet and return it to its former glory as a state-of-the-art facility. Adjacent to PBK. will be a new 75,000 square foot Music Building. This project will be completed in time for the start of the Fall 2023 semester.

By modernizing and expanding PBK and adding the new Music Building, the university will greatly enhance 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, Speech & Dance 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 $128.5 million covers 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, Speech & Dance departments. Named spaces are also available to fund these opportunities.

View the Arts Quarter Gallery

Arts Quarter

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

Phi Beta Kappa

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

Music Building

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

Give to PBK and Theatre, Speech & Dance

Give to the Music Building and Music Department