Goode Theatre Opens April 19
Old Dominion University honored benefactors David and Susan Goode with a reception, tours and scenes from "Metamorphoses" at the grand opening of the university's state-of-the-art Goode Theatre Thursday, April 19.
Located at 46th Street and Monarch Way, the 185-seat facility is a unique combination of both theatre and film, with a flexible theatrical venue and fully outfitted sound stage. It also features a scene shop to service both facilities.
"The theater has always been important to our family-our daughters benefited greatly from including theater arts in their education and we all continue to enjoy and learn from it," said David Goode, who along with his wife, Susan, is an active supporter of local arts. "We are pleased to help ODU with this great resource for students and the entire community and expect to enjoy the accomplishments of those who pass through it for years to come."
According to Director of Theatre Katherine Hammond, the addition of the Goode Theatre increases the training possibilities for Old Dominion students by offering them the most up-to-date technology with which to practice their craft. It allows them to envision a theatrical experience that is as flexible as the space, she says, and it provides the first true home for the nascent film program.
"The Goode Theatre, with its intimate performance space and sound stage, is more than just a new home for our growing theatre and film program. It is the physical manifestation of a commitment - a commitment by the Goodes, Commonwealth of Virginia, the Board of Visitors, and the University - to the students at Old Dominion," Hammond noted. "This promise values and nurtures the arts with the certainty that theatre and film teach us about us - our foibles, our obligations and our humanity. Our students recognize this promise and will carry it into the world with creativity, responsibility and compassion."
The $9.5 million, 22,050-square-foot project was designed by Boora Architects and Moseley Architects and constructed by W.M. Jordan Company. World renowned theatre consultants Theatre Projects, which worked on such projects as the restoration of the Savoy Theatre in London, Massachusetts' Tanglewood, Chicago's Goodman Theatre, Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, and the Oslo Opera House, also consulted on the project.
The Goode Theatre represents the second facility in what will become the Old Dominion University Arts District in the University Village. The Baron and Ellin Gordon Art Galleries, located at 45th Street and Monarch Way, opened in 2007 with the Gordon Self-Taught Art Gallery and the University Gallery, a changing space that displays works by faculty members and students from the ODU art department, as well as works by contemporary artists of international, national and regional repute. Plans are under way to construct a new arts building at 47th Street and Monarch Way that will house the art department, art library and classrooms.
"The state-of-the-art Goode Theatre strengthens our program and allows us to expand our annual theatrical offerings," said College of Arts and Letters Dean Charles Wilson. "But it also represents the next step in what will become a fantastic asset for the entire region - the ODU Arts District."