DOROTHY AND DEXTER BAKER CENTER FOR THE ARTS

Designed by world-famous architect Philip Johnson,
the Dorothy and Dexter Baker Center for the Arts is
a complex of theatre, studio, gallery and classroom spaces that houses programs in theatre, dance, music, film and art. The building's spacious galleria is a connecting corridor that stretches the length of the building beneath an arched glass roof. Cultural programs of the Baker Center for the Arts are open to the public as well as to the campus and draw more than 60,000 people annually.

The Paul C. Empie Theatre is the principal theatre space in the Baker Center for the Arts. Major productions of the Muhlenberg Theatre Association, Muhlenberg Dancers and concerts of the Muhlenberg Music Department as well as the summer season of musicals produced by the Muhlenberg Summer Music Theatre are housed in this flexible space with excellent acoustics, a large orchestra pit and sophisticated computerized lighting system.

The Empie Theatre has 392 seats and an open ground plan that allows for productions seating from 50 to 700 spectators. Well-equipped scene and costume shops, dressing rooms, and music rehearsal rooms support the professional level of production work that is a trademark of Muhlenberg College. The Empie Theatre is also home for the Lehigh Valley Chamber Orchestra, a professional orchestra in residence at Muhlenberg College.

The Baker Center for
the Arts is connected by a glass corridor to the adjacent Trexler Pavilion for Theatre & Dance.

TREXLER PAVILION FOR THEATRE AND DANCE

The brilliant new facility was built to meet the demands of a growing academic program, to expand the potential of the summer theatre program, and extend additional performance and presenting opportunities for the entire campus and the regional community. The department of theatre and dance hosts its administrative and technical offices in the new building, which has allowed for renovation of the spaces in the Baker Center to give the music and art departments room to expand those programs as well. The facility includes:

The Dorothy Hess Baker Theatre,
an elegant but intimate, Broadway-style proscenium stage with 350 audience seats on two levels. Fully equipped with state-of-the-art stage sound and lighting systems, orchestra pit and fly system for productions of the Muhlenberg Theatre Association, the Muhlenberg Dancers Association, and the Muhlenberg Summer Music Theatre as well as special presenting programs and concerts.

The Studio Theatre, a 50-square foot performance space that allows flexible staging for classic and innovative productions of the Muhlenberg Theatre Association's subscription series and supports the informal Black Box Series of student-directed and experimental works. Home for the Muhlenberg Summer Music Theatre's productions of musical theatre for children.

The Dance Studio Theatre, which houses public performances of faculty, guest artist, and student dance concerts as well as dance masterclasses and community workshops by faculty and artists in residence. The Trexler Pavilion Box Office located on the lower level.

The facility also includes a classroom dance studio, expanded scene and costume shops, and a full stage-sized rehearsal hall. The facility serves the more than 300 theatre, dance, and music students on the Muhlenberg campus who perform, design, direct, and produce work for the stage as part of their liberal arts education. The addition of multiple styles of performance spaces also contributes to the quality of their experiences as artists and the diversity of skills they can develop during their years at Muhlenberg College.

2007-2008 Season