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Music & Theatre Arts Facilities

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One of a Kind Spaces

Intro

Known for its vibrant music scene, both UW-Eau Claire and the city of Eau Claire offer many unique spaces to showcase and polish your skills. Our academic facilities include multiple performance venues, six music classrooms, large rehearsal rooms, 40 practice rooms - including percussion rooms, reed room, organ and harpsicord rooms, and chamber ensemble practice rooms. Also available to students are special facilities such as a recording studio, music technology lab, and digital piano lab.

Our on-campus and off-campus performance venues offer the perfect launching pad for large-scale productions, solo recitals and one-act plays alike. Each stage lends itself to a certain type of production, and in addition to the musicians and performers, set designers and stage techs also gain amazing experience working in these locations.

Explore over 200 Music and Theatre Arts performances to attend and enjoy!

We acknowledge that UW-Eau Claire occupies the sacred and ancestral lands of Indigenous Peoples. We honor the land of the Ojibwe and Dakota Nations.

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2021 Pablo Center sunset Haymarket Plaza

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As a founding partner in Pablo Center at the Confluence, UW-Eau Claire offers students instruction and performance opportunities in this state-of-the-art space that helps shine a brighter spotlight on talented Blugolds.

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RCU THEATRE

The RCU Theatre is a Broadway-style theatre that can hold more than 1,200 seated patrons with a performance area that is 50 feet wide and 40 feet deep and an orchestra pit at stage level that adds another 12 feet of stage depth. With state-of-the-art sound and lighting, a hydraulic orchestra pit, and breathtaking acoustics, the RCU Theatre opens up amazing opportunities for new shows and cherished annual performances with attendees sitting no more than 80 feet from the stage.

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JAMF THEATRE

JAMF Theatre is the largest hybrid black-box theatre in the Midwest and one of the nation's five largest of its kind. Among U.S. universities that offer undergraduate theatre programs exclusively, UW-Eau Claire is the only school to have a flexible performance space of this kind. With this blank slate, Blugolds can let their creativity flow and push design boundaries.

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CLEARWATER RECITAL HALL

Known for its sweeping panoramic views of the confluence of the downtown rivers, this performance space hosts the cherished First Fridays Faculty Recital Series which highlights the talent and versatility of the university’s voice, piano, wind, brass, percussion, and string faculty.

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COSTUME SHOP

Theatre students have access to a dedicated costume, millinery, and wig instructional space that includes private fitting rooms, separate laundry and costume-distressing rooms, a dye vat for custom dyeing of fabrics, embroidery machines, and ample costume storage.

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SCENE SHOP

Blugolds who are passionate about scene design have a dedicated space equipped with advanced technology including an in-house paint booth and welding and CNC machines. This new shop, one of the largest in a performing arts center in the Midwest, is overseen by UW-Eau Claire theatre program staff and replaced outdated on-campus facilities.

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RECORDING STUDIO

Equipped with top-of-the-line Focusrite RedNet technology, students can record live music and distribute audio between all rehearsal and performance spaces through the arts center. The new Recording Arts Certificate Program encourages students to hone their skills in this space alongside both seasoned UW-Eau Claire faculty and local award-winning recording artists.

Student working in the Light, Sound, and Video Projection Lab at the Pablo Center

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LIGHT, SOUND, & VIDEO PROJECTION LAB

This lab is equipped with technology, grids, and more so Blugolds can test out and perfect their lighting and sound design ideas before running them in the main theatres. UW-Eau Claire offers the nation’s sole undergraduate-only theatre program with a lab like this — meaning Blugolds are getting practical experience sooner than others in this field. Students also can bring their lighting designs to life by programming and running in real-time the lighting elements found outside the Pablo Center on the building itself as well as on surrounding bridges and the arts center plaza.

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Haas Fine Arts Center has been home away from home for thousands of music, art, and theatre students since 1970.

music group posing on unfinished footbridge UWEC

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HISTORICAL ICON

Within its walls, futures have been shaped, and the spirit of the arts has embedded itself in every note, every rehearsal, and every performance—a living testament to creativity, community, and tradition for 55 years and counting!

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GANTNER CONCERT HALL

This 600-seat venue has served as a cornerstone for music performance on campus since 1970. Renovated in 2021 to enhance both acoustics and stage technology, the hall provides an exceptional experience for performers and audiences alike. It regularly hosts student ensembles, faculty and student recitals, guest artist concerts, and community events. A stunning Aeolian Skinner organ is a notable asset to the hall which supports the interests of our dedicated organ students.

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PHILLIPS RECITAL HALL

This 200-seat hall is the perfect size for intimate chamber and solo recitals. Many studio professors use this space to showcase guest artists and students through masterclasses and clinics.

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RIVERSIDE THEATRE

Hosting a variety of main stage theatre productions, the Riverside Theatre is a 200-seated, thrusted stage, venue with outstanding capabilities. Audiences enjoy an intimate and enhanced views of talented theatre students on wonderfully constructed sets designed and built by students under the direction of faculty.

Dr. Gary Don teaching students in a Haas Fine Arts theory classroom

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MUSIC THEORY/HISTORY CLASSROOMS

Led by highly trained and specialized faculty, the music composition, theory and history area offers a diverse and engaging array of courses for both the music and theatre arts major and the general UWEC student. Small class sizes contribute to our focused and individual mentorship that has launched many fulfilling creative careers!

Marimba student in the specialty percussion rehearsal rooms

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SPECIALTY PRACTICE ROOMS

We understand the unique needs of our music and theatre arts students from storage needs, ample rehearsal spaces for any sized ensemble, and accommodating immobile instruments. Along with hundreds of brand new lockable instrument lockers, Haas Fine Arts Center houses 40 practice rooms including percussion rooms, reed room, organ and harpsicord rooms, and chamber ensemble practice rooms.

Haas Fine Arts Center Instrumental Rehearsal Room

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LARGE REHEARSAL ROOMS

The walls of our newly renovated large choral and instrumental rehearsal rooms have borne witness to the remarkable growth of generations of Blugold performers and the dedicated work of our numerous nationally recognized ensembles.

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DANCE STUDIO

Dance curriculum taught in this space includes physical practice, theoretical inquiry, creative activity, and interdisciplinary studies in music, theatre, and kinesiology. Blugolds have the unique opportunity to rehearse in a professional space right on campus!

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CAMPUS MALL AMPHITHEATER

Performance venues are plentiful not only at Pablo Center or Haas Fine Arts Center, but across campus as well. The campus mall amphitheater showcases many outdoor performances from Blugolds and community groups right in the heart of campus. The Blugold Marching Band kicks off every new academic year with a spirited performance that can be heard for miles!

50th Anniversary Viennese Ball in Ojibwe Ballroom

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OJIBWE GRAND BALLROOM | DAVIES CENTER

At over 8,000 sq ft, the Ojibwe Grand Ballroom features hardwood floors, soaring 24 ft ceilings, seven video screens, and scenic views of the Putnam Park State Natural Area. As a music and theatre arts students frequent this space often as it hosts many of our department's largest annual events such as Gatsby's Gala, Cabaret Productions, and the Viennese Ball.

As of Now quartet performing in the Cabin in 2017

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THE CABIN | DAVIES CENTER

The Cabin is home to the longest-running coffeehouse series in the nation. A great place to meet with friends, attend a performance or study, this campus favorite is proud to feature talented students and guests of UW-Eau Claire's award-winning jazz area!

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SCHOFIELD AUDITORIUM

Schofield Auditorium is the setting for major presentations such as the Artists Series, The Forum, musical events, student performances and lectures. With its dynamic theatrical lighting, professional audio system, and massive video wall, it's is the largest fixed-seating venue on campus with a seating capacity of 643. Schofield Auditorium is located on the first floor of Schofield Hall, the original university building that opened in 1916.

2017 Cabaret Orchestra in Dakota Ballroom

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DAKOTA BALLROOM | DAVIES CENTER

The Dakota Ballroom serves as a versatile secondary event space within Davies Center. Most notably, it plays a key role in housing the orchestra pit for the student-led Cabaret Productions every year. Musicians perform live from the Dakota Ballroom and are piped into the adjacent Ojibwe Ballroom, creating a professional-quality experience. This unique setup offers Blugold students firsthand exposure to the collaborative environment of Broadway-style pit orchestras and professional recording sessions.

Chris Young concert at Sonnentag Complex

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THE SONNENTAG

The brand new Sonnentag Complex houses a 172,502 square foot major event facility with a total capacity of 5,000 and a 120-yard artificially-turfed fieldhouse utilized by our athletic ensembles. The Blugold Athletic Band hypes up crowds and athletes during winter basketball games.

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Music and Theatre Arts Department

Haas Fine Arts Center 156
121 Water Street
Eau Claire, WI 54703
United States

715-836-4954

musicandtheatre@uwec.edu

Music & Theatre Arts Facilities

One of a Kind Spaces

Explore over 200 Music and Theatre Arts performances to attend and enjoy!

We acknowledge that UW-Eau Claire occupies the sacred and ancestral lands of Indigenous Peoples. We honor the land of the Ojibwe and Dakota Nations.

Upcoming Events

Music and Theatre Arts Department