Construction is pushing forward at the James C. and Mary B. Martin Center for the Arts.

The new center for performing arts at 1320 W. State of Franklin Road is almost structurally completed. Martin Center staff are tentatively scheduled to receive keys to the building in late May or June. Opening events will likely take place during the first week of classes in August.

  • Mary B. Martin School for the Arts Director Anita DeAngelis gives a tour of the soon to be completed facility. (Photograph by Raina Wiseman / East Tennessean)
  • The new center will feature a large auditorium space that will be able to seat approximately 1200 people. (Photograph by Raina Wiseman / East Tennessean)
  • (Photograph by Raina Wiseman / East Tennessean)
  • (Photograph by Raina Wiseman / East Tennessean)
  • (Photograph by Raina Wiseman / East Tennessean)

“The biggest hurdle is going to be a containing our excitement,” Anita DeAngelis, director of the Mary B. Martin School of the Arts, said. “It’s so exciting to think about all the things we can do, but also we have to work a little bit within reality.”

DeAngelis said the new space comes with added challenges of learning new equipment, balancing acoustics and handling crowds. To prepare, a series of soft opening events will tentatively take place in July and August to give staff an understanding of patron flow through the center.

The Martin Center will provide rehearsal and performance space for students in theater, dance and music disciplines. It will also provide a venue for guest artists and other non-ETSU performances.

The center is built with a mutual agreement between ETSU and the city of Johnson City to provide 20 days a year in the building for the city’s use. Additionally, there is a 10-event series agreement and collaborattive effort with the city to bring events that fill the main auditorium.

“That means you have to have big names – big artists,” DeAngelis said. “It’s a little daunting, but we’re starting to figure that out.”

The Martin Center staff has begun scheduling events.

“You should see our planning calendar right now for the first year,” said DeAngelis. “It seems like everybody in Johnson City wants to rent a space here in November, and the November calendar is ridiculous. There’s so many things that people want to do in here.”

She also said programming in the Martin Center will be diverse, with performances coming from the ETSU Martin School events and the Martin Center community events.

DeAngelis said one thing she is most excited about with the new center is the accessibility it will provide – for patrons and artists. The building complies with all federal accessibility laws.

“I really think our building is going to get some attention because of those particular issues on accessibility,” she said.

Industry experts from the Theatre Consultants Collaborative and Acoustic Distinctions helped consult on the Martin Center’s design during planning. Both organizations are nationally-known and helped ensure the new building would provide the best audience and artist experience.

“The thought processes that the design team went through to get us into a really good situation, within the limitations that we’ve had, it’s really been quite remarkable to see the development,” DeAngelis said.

DeAngelis and the Mary B. Martin School of the Arts staff look forward to the center’s opening, and they believe it will have a huge impact on ETSU and Johnson City.

“The type of artists that we’ll be able to bring in, it’s really a game-changer for us,” she said. “I think that this is so different, that we can’t even imagine all of the possibilities out there for us right now.”