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By Victor Samper
On September 12th, after 8 years and $70 million dollars
worth of work, Richmond’s performing arts community
will receive a significant gift with the grand Opening of
Richmond CenterStage. Located on Grace Street between
Sixth and Seventh streets in the heart of Downtown
Richmond, CenterStage should offer something
for everyone with three unique performance venues, an
educational facility, and a visual arts gallery.
The first floor of the nearly complete structure houses
the Rhythm Hall, a multi-purpose venue with a versatile
arrangement that will feature local performing artists and a
variety of concerts and community gatherings. Sharing the
first floor of the Center is a visual arts  venue known as the
Showcase Gallery, where audiences are welcomed and
encouraged to gather prior to and after performances in
the Rhythm Hall.
The second floor of the Center houses the intimate,
200-seat Gottwald Playhouse.
The theatre features an innovative
flexible seating arrangement
that can accommodate any
performance. With tremendous
sound quality and a state-of-theart
lighting system the Gottwald
Playhouse is capable of transforming
the audiences’ theatre
experience.
Above the playhouse, lies
the Genworth BrightLights Education
Center, a facility where
students of all ages from the
city of Richmond and surrounding
counties can learn about
the many facets of performance art. Complete with multi-functional classrooms, rehearsal
space, and the digital arts learning center, students have
a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in the art of
performing.
Next door to the facility stands the historic Carpenter
Theatre. A Richmond institution since it opened its doors
in 1928 as the Loew’s Richmond Theatre, the classic
building underwent a mammoth renovation that outfitted
the theatre with an array of technological advancements
while preserving the theatres original essence. Though the
process itself was painstaking, the results are breathtaking
as theatre goers will feel as though they’ve been transported
back to a different time where theatres were beautiful
pieces of architecture.
Nearly complete with a grand opening right around the
corner, it’s safe to say Richmond’s performance art community
will soon be the envy of the Mid-Atlantic region.
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