Final concert before Stevens Center renovation to feature UNCSA Symphony Orchestra conducted by Robert Franz, Nov. 10

The long-awaited renovation of the Stevens Center in downtown Winston-Salem will take its first physical step as the building closes for construction this November. The final performance in the historic performing arts venue will be on Nov. 10, with a concert featuring the UNCSA Symphony conducted by alumnus Robert Franz in works by Tchaikovsky, R. Strauss and Revueltas. UNCSA will take a commemorative photo from the stage that evening to memorialize the final audience in the auditorium pre-renovation.

The building will close on Nov. 15, 2023, for construction. It has been 40 years since the last major renovation of the Stevens Center, when it was reopened and renamed after its transformation from the Carolina Theatre.

Funding for Phase 2 of the renovation was included in the recently passed North Carolina state budget, which will allow UNCSA to complete the comprehensive renovation and to dovetail Phases 1 and 2, creating a more efficient construction timeline. Further details about the timeline will be announced when Phase 2 planning is complete.

“Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony is a fitting send-off as we say ‘good night’ and ‘see you later’ to our beloved Stevens Center and begin this much-anticipated renovation,” said Chancellor Brian Cole. “Though we will miss it in the short term, we can’t wait to welcome our audiences back when the historic building begins the next phase of its long life as a world-class performance venue. We are grateful to state legislators, the UNC System, and our community for their support of this endeavor that will enhance downtown Winston-Salem and the Triad, as well as serve countless future generations of artists.”

Phase 1 of the Stevens Center renovation, led by nationally recognized design and architecture team of Little and Steinberg Hart, will include a significant redesign of the lobby that will create a more expansive, transformative experience for patrons and bring the Stevens Center in line with modern theaters of today, while making efforts to retain the 1929 building’s historic character. The lobby, which was initially designed to accommodate the needs of the building’s original iteration as a movie theater and adapted for the performing arts in 1983, will be redesigned to create a more organic and fluid entry for audiences and visitors as well as increase accessibility and amenities. Improvements focused on patron comfort, such as renovated restrooms and updated concession spaces, will also be included.

In addition to the lobby, the main priority of Phase 1 is to make critical repairs to the exterior of the building to address water intrusion and ensure it is watertight, allowing for improvements to the interior of the venue planned in Phase 2. This will include replacing the roof and making repairs to the brick exterior, terra-cotta façade, and windows. Improvements to back-of-house spaces including the dressing rooms and green room will also be made.

Phase 2 will complete the renovation and include a comprehensive transformation of the audience chamber, including enhancements to seating and the stage, as well as a reconfigured balcony with improved sightlines. Technological improvements will allow students and partners to work with state-of-the-art equipment that meets current industry standards.

UNCSA has received a total of $80.8 million in North Carolina state appropriations to help fund the comprehensive renovation of the building. UNCSA will continue to pursue both public and private funding for the renovation as well as to provide long-term support for programming and building maintenance.

UNCSA is receiving input on renovation plans from partner organizations such as the Winston-Salem Symphony, Piedmont Opera and the National Black Theatre Festival, among others, who call the Stevens Center home.

During the time the facility is closed, UNCSA will present events normally held there in venues on campus, throughout Winston-Salem and at High Point Theatre (Winter Opera and Spring Dance). “The Nutcracker” will be performed at the Tanger Center in Greensboro, Dec. 7-10. The UNCSA Box Office will move to Watson Hall on the UNCSA campus, 1533 S. Main St., beginning Thursday, Oct. 26. The Box Office will maintain its current operating hours, Monday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the contact phone number will remain the same, 336-721-1945. Online sales will not be affected.

About the Stevens Center

The historic Stevens Center serves as the largest learning laboratory at UNCSA, an economic driver for downtown Winston-Salem, and a cultural destination for residents and visitors. Originally a 1929 silent movie theater, the Stevens Center is a neoclassical building that was restored and reopened in 1983 with a redesigned stage and backstage that was able to house Broadway-scale live performances of music, theater, dance and opera. 

Located in downtown Winston-Salem, the 1,380-seat theater is the primary performance space for the University of North Carolina School of the Arts as well as for the Winston-Salem Symphony, Piedmont Opera, National Black Theatre Festival, and several other local arts organizations.

The Stevens Center has had a tremendous impact — locally as an economic catalyst for downtown development, regionally as a cultural anchor since the 1930s, and nationally as the launching pad for the careers of countless actors, dancers, technicians, musicians, and others on stage and behind the scenes.

Once the Carolina Theatre, the facility was renamed for theater producer Roger L. Stevens upon its initial renovation and was reopened April 22-24, 1983, with a star-studded gala featuring the UNCSA Symphony Orchestra with Leonard Bernstein conducting and Isaac Stern as soloist, and Gregory Peck as the master of ceremonies. Guests in attendance included Agnes de Mille, Cliff Robertson, N.C. Gov. James B. Hunt, President and Mrs. Gerald Ford, and former First Lady Lady Bird Johnson.

The Stevens Center has played host to a range of notable events including the world premieres of Neil Simon’s “Lost in Yonkers,” winner of a Pulitzer Prize and four Tony Awards, and “Jake’s Women,” a 19-performance sellout starring Alan Alda. The UNCSA Presents series launched in 2018 brought Broadway back to Winston-Salem with “Kinky Boots” followed by “Once,” as well as performances by Kathy Mattea, Flor de Toloache, Steve Earle and the Dukes, Mavis Staples, the Del McCoury Band, Josh Ritter and more as part of the American Music Series.

Other performances throughout the theater’s history have included Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “State Fair,” Victor Borge, the Smothers Brothers, STOMP, Riders In The Sky, the Vienna Choir Boys, Béla Fleck, The Magic School Bus, Carol Channing and Rita Moreno, “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” Alison Krauss, the 35th Anniversary Reunion of “The Andy Griffith Show,” Gordon Lightfoot, Tony Bennett, the filming of Chris Daughtry’s music video “September” and a critical scene in the 1987 film “The Bedroom Window.” In its days as the Carolina Theatre, the venue even played host to “The King,” Elvis Presley, in 1956.

Follow the Stevens Center renovation at uncsa.edu/stevens.

About Little

Little is a national design firm recognized for crafting exceptional solutions that elevate client performance in the community, retail, workplace and health care industries. With nearly 400 professionals, the firm is recognized for its North Carolina educational expertise and the design of complex renovation projects. Little designed the Queens University Sarah Belk Gambrell Center for Arts & Civic Engagement; the Chapman Culture Center in Spartanburg, South Carolina; and the Central Piedmont Community College Overcash Academic & Performing Arts Center, among other relevant projects. Little combines expertise in traditional architectural services (architecture, engineering, interior architecture) with proficiency in additional diversified architectural consulting services (planning, sustainability, site design, brand consulting, digital visualization and smart building technologies). For more information, visit https://www.littleonline.com/.

About Steinberg Hart

Steinberg Hart is an international architecture, interiors, and planning firm headquartered in Los Angeles. The firm has built a diverse and talented team that works collaboratively across all seven offices challenging one another to develop designs that build community, enhance business, support learning, and connect people with place. For nearly 70 years, Steinberg Hart has shaped environments and created inspiring places through an idea-driven, results-oriented approach to design that spans education, arts, residential, urban mixed-use, hospitality, civic, and commercial sectors. This includes over 280 performing arts facilities designed and delivered nationwide. Steinberg Hart is known for innovation in design thinking and building technologies that help clients realize the full potential of their projects. To learn more, visit https://www.steinberghart.com/.

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