Performing Arts Venues

Hill Auditorium

Since its opening in 1913, this impressive structure has served as a showplace for important debuts for wide variety of the arts, and also has provided the locale for long relationships between artists and Ann Arbor audiences.  With superb acoustics that highlight everything from the softest high notes to the most thunderous climaxes, Hill Auditorium is known and loved throughout the musical world

Mendelssohn Theatre

Located within the Michigan League building on the central campus of the University of Michigan, the Mendelssohn Theatre is an intimate, shoe-box theatre seating 658 people.  It opened on May 4, 1929, and is one of the few theatres in the United States to have a "cyclorama," a curved wall at back of the stage.  The cyclorama improves sound in the theatre and can be used for creative lighting effects.

Power Center

Opening in 1971, the Power Center is the most technically sophisticated performance space on campus. The building was designed during a very innovative period in theatrical architecture. Known as "modern classical," the Power Center combines massive concrete columns and mirrored glass with ancient corms. THe audience's seating area is modeled after the Greek theatre in Epidarus, while the stage was an experimental combination of proscenium arch and thrust. No seat in the Power Center is more than 80 feet from the stage.

Rackham Auditorium

Rackham Auditorium has been the site of many major occasions in the advancement of knowledge, with numerous notable lectures, academic symposia, and scholarly papers presented in the sixty plus years since its opening. In addition, it is the favorite venue in the area for intimate musical performances, particularly chamber music, small ensembles, and world music. Designed in the classical renaissance style the Rackham Building is considered to be one of the most historically significant buildings on campus.

Several unique performing arts centers at the University of Michigan draw in the best performing artists the world has to offer. From the majesty of Hill Auditorium to the intimacy of the Mendelssohn Theatre, the presenting spaces at UM provide a variety of options to experience performances from groups such as: The UM Music School, Musical Society, Theatre & Drama Department, Life Sciences Orchestra (LSO), Basement Arts and many more. A rewarding aspect of student life at the University of Michigan is the presence of an unusually high and diverse cultural life. The UM Music School, Musical Society, and Theatre & Drama Department combine to create an environment where these are nearly daily performances, most of which are free or at a reasonable cost to students.

Trueblood Theatre (Not Pictured Above) - The Trueblood Theatre located in the basement of the Frieze building is an intimate venue where numerous student productions have taken place over the years. With the ability to change seating arrangements the Trueblood Theatre allows for flexibility with stage design and audience interaction. In 2004 the Walgreen Drama Center and Arthur Miller Theatre were approved. The 250-seat Arthur Miller Theatre will replace the 140-seat Trueblood Theatre and will be located on North Campus adjacent to the Walgreen Drama Center.

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