As of Oct. 24, the Studio Theatre and Ham Amphitheatre projects at the Jay and Susie Gogue Performing Arts Center (GPAC) are substantially complete. This means that the real construction work has been finalized, and all that’s left to do is to prepare the spaces for their debut. The GPAC’s production team is currently hard at work finalizing the lighting and audio systems for the two brand-new venues.
The project, which began last fall, has a total cost of $15 million. The architect of record is Wilson Butler Architects, and the general contractor is Rabren General Contractors. The Auburn project managers are Mary Melissa Taddeo and Nick Blair.
To create the new Studio Theatre, the smaller existing outdoor stage was enclosed, which was an addition to the original 2015 project. The Studio Theatre consists of 3,500 square feet of indoor theatre space that can accommodate up to 250 guests. Not only does the design of the Studio Theatre tie directly into the Gogue Center’s facade but it also offers an indoor wall of glass that provides a panoramic view of the Ponder Stage and Ham Amphitheatre.
“The Studio Theatre will be another interior venue for the GPAC, offering a more intimately-sized room for closer-knit performances. GPAC’s Chamber Music Series, for example, will be a natural fit for this scale of space,” said Taddeo, the director of Capital Projects Studio in Auburn’s Facilities Management’s Planning, Design and Construction Department.
The Ham Amphitheatre, located on the southwest side of the GPAC, was formed by extending the exterior stage and creating a bowl-shaped multilevel seating area, providing 65,000 square feet of outdoor performance space. The amphitheatre can accommodate up to 4,000 guests and is lined with more than 1,200 plants to create a park-like atmosphere.
Rendering of Ham Amphitheater created by Wilson Butler Architects. Contributed by Jonathan Ashley Osborne, Director of Communications and Marketing, Jay and Susie Gogue Performing Arts Center
“As a venue, it will offer a new level of programming for GPAC, with a 3,000-person seat capacity; it fits within a particular niche as compared to venues across the state, and it will allow GPAC to attract larger and more diverse performances than were previously able to be held in the outdoor amphitheatre space,” Taddeo said. “When not in use for performances, the outdoor venue is essentially a park, with a grassy sloped lawn, generous landscaping and paved pathways. It fits into Auburn’s campus alongside the adjacent Jule Collins Smith Museum and Transformation Garden, adding to and beautifying the campus green infrastructure.”
When officially ready for events, the GPAC will feature three unique spaces — the Woltosz Theatre, the Studio Theatre and the Ham Amphitheatre — designed for a wide array of performances and audiences.
In the spring, the Ham Amphitheatre will host the Little River Band on April 24 and '90s country superstar Travis Tritt on May 16 – both as part of the 2025-26 Amphitheatre series.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
