FAYETTEVILLE (KFSM) -- TheatreSquared announced Tuesday (Jan. 17) it received a $9 million grant from the Walton Family Foundation to build its new facility at West Avenue and Spring Street.
That funding will be released to T2 when the organization reaches a 1:2 fundraising challenge toward the building's construction. The foundation has also awarded $3.5 million to the theater through its Northwest Arkansas Design Excellence Program to support the facility's design.
The announcement comes after the Walton Arts Center reopened after millions of dollars worth of its own renovations.
"Fayetteville is shaping up to be a real theater district for Northwest Arkansas," T2 Executive Director Martin Miller said.
T2 will launch a public campaign this spring to raise the rest of the funds for construction. The theater is finalizing commitments from major public and private donors to match the foundation's challenge and break ground this year.
"Two state-of-the-art theater venues, both of which are really intimate just as in our current space," said Martin Miller, executive director. "One of which seats 280, and the other one is 99. Both very flexible."
Doors are expected to open in 2019.
"We send a lot of students we train here at the university down to work in a professional environment," University of Arkansas Department of Theater Chair Michael Riha said. "That will benefit those students and faculty members greatly."
Until the new facility opens, productions will go on at T2's current building.
"TheatreSquared is such an essential part of the theater community here," U of A theater student Emily Riggs said. "It's kind of the center of the theater community. I think this new addition will really put Fayetteville on the map."
London-based theater planners Charcoalblue and New York-based Marvel Architects have been designing T2's new 50,000-square-foot building. The new venue will hold two theaters, a rehearsal space, offices, and education and community space, design workshops, eight guest-artist apartments and a cafe/bar.
