The 52,000-square-foot world-class performing arts venue, Tuscarawas Performing Arts Center (PAC) enriches Kent State University’s campus. The design reflects a theater-going experience with a main floor, mezzanine, and balcony, inspiring a deeper appreciation for the arts.
Kent State Tuscarawas is one of eight regional campuses of Kent State University, located on 180 acres in New Philadelphia, Ohio. The state-of-the-art performing arts center can house up to 1,100 people and is designed with a sloping view for greater visibility of the stage.
The new Performing Arts Center at Kent State University at Tuscarawas was unveiled during a gala celebration held Nov. 19.
Performing Arts Center reflects theatergoing experience, inspires cultural upswing
Kent State University (KSU) posed a challenging goal for its Tuscarawas campus: create a world-class performing arts venue without surpassing a $17.3 million budget.
The resulting 52,000-square-foot Tuscarawas Performing Arts Center (PAC) not only meets the budget but also enriches programs at KSU’s regional campus and promotes the economic development of the Tuscarawas Valley.
The centerpiece is a 1,100-seat theater with a main floor, mezzanine level, and communicating balcony. It also features an orchestra pit, a 75-foot fly tower, a multipurpose rehearsal room, and classrooms. The horseshoe-shaped theater seating arrangement features two arms with seats that slope toward the stage to connect viewers on the balcony to those on the main floor.
A lower-level lobby seats 280 and can function as an art gallery, conference space, and reception area. An upper-level lobby, with seating for 88, overlooks the lower lobby.
Metal panels flow through the entry glazing and resurface in “leaves” that float around the lobby, creating continuity with the exterior.
The Kent State Tuscarawas story exemplifies a performing arts center’s potential to culturally and financially invigorate a community and campus.
