Juilliard Dedicates the Rosemary and Meredith Willson Theater on October 6, 2009

New State-of-the-Art, Multi-Use Theater Located in the New Wing of Juilliard's Irene Diamond Building is Named After Famed Alumnus Meredith Willson

The Juilliard School dedicates its new state-of-the-art, multi-use space, the Rosemary and Meredith Willson Theater, at a ceremony on Tuesday, October 6, 2009. The Theater carries the name of the late musician, conductor, composer, writer, and Juilliard alumnus Meredith Willson, best known for the Broadway shows The Music Man and The Unsinkable Molly Brown and the remarkable live-conducted soundtracks of legendary Chaplin movies, such as The Great Dictator. Juilliard is grateful to the generous support of his wife, Rosemary Willson, who is a longtime and substantial benefactor to the School. Mrs. Willson provided funding for the School's first and only residence hall, which opened in 1990 and houses almost half of the student body at Juilliard. Located in Lincoln Center's Rose Building, it, too, is named after Meredith Willson. Mrs. Willson is expected to be in attendance at the October 6 ceremony.

The Rosemary and Meredith Willson Theater is located on the third floor of the Juilliard's new wing (just recently dedicated as the Irene Diamond Building). It comprises more than 2,000 square feet of performance space with an additional 2,000 square feet of production support space, including a state-of-the-art lighting grid, a permanently-installed sound system, a removable dance floor, and video project capabilities. All of Juilliard's divisions - dance, drama, and music (classical and jazz) will present performances in the new theater, and collaborative projects between them are being especially encouraged. Juilliard's new music technology center also is connected directly to the advanced sound capabilities of the theater, allowing for sophisticated performances of works using electronics.

The Willson Theater is an intimate space with a maximum seating of 110 people. It is two stories in height, with audience seating on the lower level, and production stations positioned around an upper level catwalk. A control room lies at the head of that catwalk.

Juilliard's dedication will also include an announcement of the first season of presentations already planned for the Rosemary and Meredith Willson Theater. Advance tickets to performances may be obtained at the Juilliard Box Office (now named the Janet and Leonard Kramer Box Office at Juilliard), located in the lobby of 155 West 65^th Street. A small box office immediately outside of the Willson Theater on the third floor serves as a pick up location for reserved seats.

Diller Scofidio + Renfro and FX Fowle Architects are the lead and associate architects for Juilliard's renovation project and have designed the Willson Theater. JaffeHolden is the acoustician on the project.