SDSU Raises the Curtain on the Performing Arts District

Heres a behind-the-scenes look at everything the new space has to offer students and regional arts patrons.

By Lizbeth Persons
Monday, November 6, 2023
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This story appeared in the Fall 2023 Issue of SDSU Magazine. 

When Joyce Gattas, the dean emeritus for the College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts, outlined a feasibility study in 2016 for what she called an “SDSU Arts District,” she’d already had her aha moment. The time was now to present a bold vision and create a geographic space for the arts. 

Seven years later and with the support of then  Interim President Sally Roush and President Adela de la Torre, that outline became the provenance for a philanthropy-driven, multibuilding project that will forever change the SDSU landscape.

In addition to the SDSU Main Stage, which was built in 1967, the Performing Arts District includes four new performance and patron structures: the Prebys Stage, the Dean Joyce M. Gattas Pavilion, the outdoor Bill and Evelyn Lamden Stage and the Ben and Nikki Clay Stage. 

The district opened in September with the musical “Ziggy, Stardust, and Me” and is set to become a regional powerhouse in training and performance and a vibrant hub for collaboration. It brings together various disciplines and provides students with state-of-the-art facilities to nurture their talents and thrive.  

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The renovated SDSU Main Stage Theatre and the Ruth Anna, Louis F., Dorothy Cable Stage have long been vibrant hubs for artistic innovation. Photograph by Ken Jacques  
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The Dean Joyce M. Gattas Pavilion encompasses all patron services, including the Alice and Doug Diamond Box Office and a concession area. Photograph by Ken Jacques  
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The Julia R. Brown Family Park includes the open-air Ben and Nikki Clay Stage set against a foundational wall that serves as a canvas for projecting scenic art and enhancing visual storytelling in its grassy audience area. Photograph by Scott Hargrove  
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The Prebys Stage is a flexible second stage space featuring a spring floor vital for dance, cutting-edge design technology and a high-quality sound design lab. Photograph by Ken Jacques  
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The outdoor Bill and Evelyn Lamden Stage is a dynamic space with opportunities for unbounded creativity and learning. Photograph by Scott Hargrove  
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Inside the Main Stage Theatre, there is enhanced audience seating, plus acoustic tiles for exceptional sound quality. The striking ADA–compliant Julia R. Brown Family Lobby and the Luby Lift, a bridge for the inclusion of people with disabilities, break down barriers that hinder full engagement with the arts. Photograph by Ken Jacques  
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College of Professional Studies and Fine ArtsAztec Life