A 52,000 sf Visual and Performing Arts Center has doubled previous space for these programs at this liberal arts college in the Berkshires. The building, the largest capital project the College has undertaken, “will make all the difference to the arts programs at Simon’s Rock,” said Dean Bernard Rogers when the project began.

Designed by Ann Beha Architects of Boston, FDA, and Acentech acoustical consultants, the Center is anchored by the 350-seat McConnell Theatre. The facility includes the 100-seat flexible Liebowitz Studio Theatre, the 1,800-square foot Beckerman Dance Studio, a television studio, four rehearsal rooms that double as classrooms, a production shop, dressing rooms, and offices.

The McConnell Theatre is an intimate room, with sightlines and seating plans designed by FDA so that no seat is more than 55 feet from the stage.

The studio theatre is a professionally outfitted space with movable seating and stage configurations – offering students a flexible venue to explore new work and experiment in various staging and multimedia production techniques.