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Department Buildings & Facilities
Overlooking the Mississippi River on the University of Minnesota's west bank, Rarig Center (pictured above right) is the home of the theatre program in the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance. Its four theatres provide state of the art facilities for virtually every production and training need. The center, designed by Ralph Rapson, the same architect who designed the old Guthrie Theater, includes scenery, property, costume, lighting, and sound laboratories, design, voice, and movement studios, ticket and publicity offices, and student lounges and offices. Recently a state of the art digital media studio was added to the building and the design classroom has added capability for sound and digital editing as well as several CAD stations and internet access. A unique architectural feature of the center is the four-story lobby serving all four theatres.
A short block south of Rarig is the Barbara Barker Center for Dance (pictured above left) which features three large dance studios and classroom space. The largest studio features a fully equipped public performance space with a repertory lighting plot and retractable seating for 107. The building is an entry point to the campus and has won several awards for its unique architectural style.
The Minnesota Centennial Showboat is a brand-new facility rising out of the ashes of the fire that destroyed the original boat in February 2000 during its renovation. This venue produces turn of the century plays on the river each summer with a salaried student company. The Showboat is a central part of Saint Paul's riverfront refurbishment project. More on the Showboat and the U of M Showboat Players can be found on our What's On Stage pages