About Chipola Center for the Arts

The Chipola Center for the Arts, located on the Marianna campus of Chipola College, is one of Florida's finest performing, visual and educational centers. It consists of a 655-seat state-of-the-art proscenium main theater for performing arts; a 150-seat flexible experimental theater for intimate works, cutting-edge programs and recitals; an art gallery in which to show works by Chipola students and faculty, as well as local, national and internationally-recognized artists; plus a dance studio, teaching areas, costume and scenery shops and offices. The Center is designed to serve the current and future needs of the Chipola College community, local cultural organizations and those living, working and visiting the Chipola region. The Center is scheduled to open during the fall of 2012.

Opening Date

The Center will open in September 2012 (date pending) with a one-night opening gala benefit performance featuring nationally-recognized artists and a cavalcade of local music, dance and theatrical performances in the Center's main theater. A special inaugural exhibition will also be presented in the Center's visual art gallery.

Components of the Chipola Center for the Arts

• A 655-seat state-of-the-art proscenium theater ideal for musicals, plays, dance and music performances. There are 487seats in the orchestra and 168 seats in the balcony.
• A 150-flexible-seat experimental theater for the presentation of intimate works, recitals and cutting-edge programs.
• An art gallery for exhibitions of works by Chipola students and faculty, as well as locally, nationally and internationally-recognized artists.
• A dance studio in which to teach classical, traditional, jazz and contemporary dance.
• Teaching spaces, meeting rooms, scenery and costume shops, and offices designed to enrich the educational experiences of Chipola students and more than 6,000 K-12 schoolchildren in the five-county area.
• 350-plus parking spaces for Center guests.

Architect: DAG Architects Inc., Destin, Florida

Theatrical Consultant: Robert Lorelli Associates, Inc., Speonk, New York

Acoustical Consultant: Siebein Associates, Inc., Gainesville, Florida

Electrical Engineer: Humber Garick Consulting Engineers, Fort Walton Beach, Florida

Mechanical Plumbing & Fire Protection: H2 Engineering, Inc., Tallahassee, Florida

Civil Engineer/Landscaping: David H. Melvin, Inc., Tallahassee, Florida

Structural Engineer: Greenhorne & O'Mara, Pensacola, Florida

Construction: Allstate Construction, Inc.,/ Southland Contracting, Inc., a Joint Venture, Tallahassee, Florida