The University of Alabama’s Performing Arts Academic Center (PAAC) will be a marquee public space for students and visitors. The new center will combine world-class performance venues within the historic and pastoral setting of the restored Bryce Main. TURNERBATSON was selected to be the architect of record for this state-of-the-art facility.

The PAAC will become one of the most iconic and most frequently visited buildings on campus — bringing student artists, faculty mentors, art lovers, community members, and visitors together to explore the arts in a remarkable, one-of-a-kind facility.

The 150,000 square-foot facility will include four performance theatres — a black box theatre with flexible seating for 175-275, a 350-seat proscenium style theatre, a 450-seat venue specifically designed for dance, and a dance studio theatre with flexible space for rehearsals, recitals, and smaller performances. These performance spaces will set the stage for an intimate artist-to-audience connection, elevating the experience for each patron.

All Theatre and Dance students in every area of performance and production will experience the impact of this project. With costume, scenery, production, and lighting studios sized and equipped to match commercial studios such as Broadway, and precisely engineered floors and acoustics; these facilities are equivalent to the ones in which design and technical students will be working in as professionals.