Performance Venues & Training Spaces
Continue to main contentOur high-quality performance venues offer space for performers and technicians to hone and showcase their skills and techniques. Students also get to practice their craft in various training spaces and studios at the River Campus.
Donald C. Bedell Performance Hall
The Donald C. Bedell Performance Hall, a 950-seat venue, is located inside the Cultural Arts Center. The state-of-the-art performance space is used for dance concerts, plays, large instrumental and vocal music concerts, musicals, and ballets. A professional-sized orchestra pit accommodates instrumental groups to accompany actors and singers in the presentation of Broadway musicals and operas.
Wendy Kurka Rust Flexible Theatre
The Wendy Kurka Rust Flexible Theatre is a 200-seat black box theatre that can accommodate almost any style of performance: intimate plays, dance concerts, or musical theatre performances. State-of-the-art lighting and sound equipment support the six performances presented in the Rust Flexible Theatre each academic year.
Center for Health in the Arts (CHART) Clinic
The CHART Clinic provides comprehensive health care services to all students participating in the visual and performing arts. Located at River Campus Center 116, services are provided by a certified athletic trainer and include massage, heat/cold therapies, taping, wellness education for injury prevention, fitness/injury assessments, and rehabilitation services. The facility works in conjunction with a local hospital and healthcare provider, Southeast Health.
Musical Theatre Performance Studio: Cultural Arts Center 157
The 1,200-square-foot studio has a breathtaking view of the Mississippi River. It is outfitted with a sprung floor and Marley covering. The studio also has acting-class furniture and properties and a full tech pack.
Dance Studio: Cultural Arts Center 103
This 1,500 square foot studio has two beautiful walls of windows to let in natural light during classes and rehearsals. The studio offers a specialized venue for both student and faculty creativity and contains a small storage area for ballet barres, exercise equipment, and cubbies for personal items.
Dance Studio: River Campus Center 119
This room includes 2,450 square feet of dancing space. The studio allows choreography rehearsals to replicate the full extent of the performance hall stage and is also utilized for numerous guest artist masterclasses. It features a sound system, an upright piano, twelve ballet barres, and a mirrored wall.
Behind the Scenes
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Scene Shop
The shop is approximately 7,500 square feet with another 150 square feet of locked tool storage and 150 square feet of props storage as a loft above the tool cage. It is well equipped for advanced carpentry and welding, scene painting, props storage, and manufacturing. -
Rust Theatre Control Booth
The control booth in the Rust Flexible Theatre features state-of-the-art lighting and sound equipment: ETC Expression lighting control console and 92 dimmers, and three fully equipped digital sound design and editing stations. -
Costume Shop
Our fully equipped and staffed costume shop has two work tables, six sewing machines, three surgers, a washer and dryer, a large storage area for clothing, and adequate storage cabinets and shelving for tools and supplies. Student costume designers and workship assistants provide design and build support for faculty and guest costume designers. -
Makeup Rooms
Our three large makeup rooms can seat 40 people for performance preparations or classroom instruction.
Explore Our Facilities
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The stage of the Bedell Performance Hall is approximately 1,500 square feet with a 28-ft high proscenium and a variable width of 44-52 feet. -
The Costume Shop is approximately 400 square feet. Students assist on costumes for as many as six productions each year.
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Safety is of the highest importance for the Scene Shop. OSHA MSDSs are on file for all chemicals used in the Shop. Ladders and lifts are in excellent condition and serviced regularly. There are ample safety supplies for everyone who works in the shop: safety glasses, dust masks, ventilator masks, ear protection, latex gloves, etc. Two portable air filters are used in the paint and welding areas. A spray paint booth is also part of the safety equipment.
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The Rust Flexible Theatre features bleacher seating with comfortable padded chairs, a dead-hung lighting grid, and a control booth, which also serves for audio recording and sound engineering
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The Rust Flexible Theatre is used for student-produced shows, second-stage productions, classwork, and rehearsals.
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The Cultural Arts Center sits adjacent to the Seminary Building. It houses the 950-seat Bedell Performance Hall and the 200-seat Rust Flexible Theatre as well as several of the Department of Art and Design’s studios, the River Campus box office, a large atrium/public space, scenic and lighting workshops, rehearsal rooms for large music ensembles, a large convention room, a dance studio, and the Crisp Museum.
Cape Girardeau, MO 63701