Performing Arts Center Set to Open on Prince William Campus

Merchant Hall, the main performance space at the Prince William's new Hylton Performing Arts Center, will be open for the grand opening gala May 21 to 22. The hall, pictured here during the construction process, has similar acoustics to New York City's Carnegie Hall. (Evan Cantwell)
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UPDATED 2:43 p.m. 

A one-of-a-kind arts center will be opening its doors on George Mason University’s Prince William campus May 21.

The Hylton Performing Arts Center contains three unique performance spaces. Each space is customizable to fit nearly any performing need, according to a coordinator at the center. 

Executive Director Jean Kellogg believes the center “will become a ‘town center’ where residents gather not only for performances, but for special events and meetings, creating a true sense of community.”

Merchant Hall, the copper-wrapped main stage, includes 1,166 seats on four levels and a customizable orchestra pit that adapts for extra audience space or stage extension. At over 100 feet wide and 45 feet deep, the stage is the largest in the D.C. area.

According to Kristin Day, the audience development and community relations coordinator for the center, the reverberation level within Merchant Hall is the same rating as the famed Carnegie Hall in New York City.

The Hylton Performing Arts Center also holds a black box theater called the Gregory Family Theatre. Within the black box is a sprung dance stage, which is available for various lighting combinations, and which has bleacher seating for 270 attendees, similar to that of a stadium.

In a surprise twist to the standard lobby featured in most art centers, the Didlake Grand Foyer also doubles as a performance space. The foyer is outfitted with performance-suitable acoustics and flexible lighting.

All of the spaces in the center are available for rent to artists of all kinds. The center hopes to bring together a community of creativity by reaching out to the area from the start. Children’s camps will be using the space during the summer.

“The partnership between Prince William County, George Mason University and the City of Manassas to build the Hylton Center is just beginning,” Kellogg said. “It is the catalyst for bringing together a diverse community and transforming the lives of those who live here.”

Day said that sound engineers are also hoping to build a program in which theater sound design is taught.

“I am most excited for the resident arts groups who will finally have a world-class stage to perform on, and a place to call home,” Kellogg said. “The Hylton will bring all the performing arts groups in the area together in one amazing place, creating a sense of an arts community that we’ve never had before. They’ll be able to do things at the Hylton Center that they’ve never been able to do before because of technical, acoustic or size limitations.”

The center’s grand opening gala will take place May 21 to 22. The complete season schedule will be announced May 12.