What an entrance! $1 million gift launches renovations at UVM’s Royall Tyler Theatre

An anonymous University of Vermont alum made a dramatic entrance by contributing $1 million to launch upgrades to the 123-year-old Royall Tyler Theatre building.

The donation from a member of the Class of 1983 will go toward the first comprehensive renovations of the stately brick building since the former gymnasium was converted into a theater in 1974. The 291-seat theater that marked its 50 ^th anniversary this spring had some improvements made to its performance space a decade ago but has otherwise had no interior updates.

“This gift will help renew the heart and soul of this beloved cultural venue – and is absolutely crucial for getting this much-needed work started,” Kelley Di Dio, executive director of UVM’s School of the Arts, said in a news release. “We will continue to fundraise for it because the theatre’s needs are pretty substantial.”

According to the news release, the renovations overseen by Scott + Partners Architecture of Essex Junction will include a redesign of the layout and lighting in the lobby to make the entrance “more accessible, useful, and welcoming.” Renovations will also improve bathrooms and other spaces on the first floor outside the main theater space.

UVM Theatre Program

The University of Vermont Program in Theatre and Dance offers majors and minors in those two disciplines as well as a minor in musical theater. Students in those programs stage regular performances at Royall Tyler Theatre that are open to the public.

“With this renovation, we’ll be even more of a resource to our campus,” Rob Shimko, head of the Program in Theatre and Dance, said in the news release. “We’ll be able to host receptions, lectures, and all sorts of other public events.”

The first phase of the renovation is expected to begin after the end of the academic year in May, according to the news release. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places .

If you go

WHAT : “Spirits to Enforce,” a play by Mickle Maher presented by the University of Vermont Program in Theatre and Dance

WHEN : 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 2-Saturday, Oct. 5, 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 6

WHERE : Royall Tyler Theatre, UVM, Burlington.

INFORMATION : $10-$22. www.uvm.edu/cas/theatreanddance/current_production_season

Contact Brent Hallenbeck at bhallenbeck@freepressmedia.com .

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: What an entrance! $1 million gift launches renovations at UVM’s Royall Tyler Theatre