Miller Performing Arts Center

Miller Performing Arts Center

Miller Performing Arts Center, which houses our Performing Arts division, was dedicated on October 9, 1995. First envisioned as part of a University master plan two decades ago, The Miller Performing Arts Center provides a home for theater, dance and music programs, as well as serving as a cultural focal point for the region.

Statistics and History

About this Facility

The building's name honors the leadership role of Dr. Marlin Miller, a 1954 alumnus, former chair and current member of the Board of Trustees. Without Dr. Miller's vision, support and leadership, construction of this building would not have been possible.
  • Miller Theater
  • C.D. Smith III Theater
  • Rod Brown Acting Studio
  • The Adelphia Dance Studios
  • The Brooks Music Rehearsal Hall
  • The Emerson Rehearsal Hall

Special Features of the Miller Performing Arts Center
The C.D. Smith Flexible Theater, a 50 X 50 foot square theater with seating for up to 250. The space features a "sprung" (two-level, shock absorbed) floor, important in preventing injuries to actors while also serving as a sound-proofing device. Except for the doors through which the audience enters, there is nothing that labels the empty space in terms of geography of the stage. Above the space is a grid with a series of catwalks, with railings that provide hanging positions for lighting. The catwalks are also non-geographical, allowing for creative use of the facility. There is a control booth for the stage manager and also a sound booth, both featuring state-of-the-art equipment. The theater has the potential to open into the scene shop, which can then serve as a traditional, proscenium theater. The scene shop mimics the size of the theater to aid in moving constructed items. The theater honors the memory of C. Duryea Smith III, a leading member of the Department of Speech and Drama and the Footlight Club from the 1930s to the 1970s.

The Rod Brown Studio, an acting and directing rehearsal hall allows several theater projects to take place simultaneously in the building. Brown, like Smith, was a key part of Alfred University's golden age of drama in the 1950s and 1960s. The theater department also has access to a design studio, a rarity in undergraduate programs, and a well-equipped costume shop.

The Adelphia Dance Studio is a spacious, two-story room with 16-foot ceilings that soar to 28 feet to meet the two-story windows overlooking the valley. The room also features a "sprung" floor and access to a storage area and two dressing rooms.

The Brooks Music Rehearsal Hall and The Emerson Rehearsal Hall, like the dance studio, feature similarly inspiring spaces. The halls honor contributions from The Gladys Brooks Foundation and the Fred L. Emerson Foundation.

Also, the Center features practice rooms for music, including a double-room for small ensemble practice, outstanding rehearsal spaces, instrument storage areas, studios, library of music, library seminar room, class piano laboratory, faculty offices and a room to collect and display the history of performing arts at Alfred University.