ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE LILI PAD
Located at Celebration Park, the splash pad is a great spot for kids to cool off from May 1 – September 30. It’s open Tuesday – Sunday, 10 a.m. till dusk.
Rise to the Challenge Red Mountain Theatre’s new arts campus finally opens its doors to community thespians and theatre-goers
BY STEPHANIE GIBSON LEPORE Unless you’re new—really new—to Birmingham, you know about Red Mountain Theatre and its importance in the arts community. The nonprofit, started in 1979, fosters thespians, inspires a dedication to theatre in area youths, and draws in a dedicated following for its Broadwaycaliber shows and educational offerings, including the celebrated RMT Conservatory. According to the theatre’s website, “Through theatre, students sharpen their ability to create and to collaborate, gaining confidence along the way. These skills serve students throughout their lifetimes-on the stage and beyond.” For the past four-plus decades, Red Mountain Theatre has completed this mission without a permanent home. But that all changed this past summer with the completion of a $25 million Arts Campus, situated in the city’s Parkside District. Featuring 18 Bham Family September 2021
more than 60,000 square feet, Red Mountain Theatre now boasts two theatres, rehearsal spaces, administrative and production offices, scene and costume shops, a piano bar, recording studio, makeup and wig room, back of house facilities, and room for set and costume storage in one state-of-the-art facility. And, it seems, this is only the beginning. Bham Family: Tell us a little about the dream of the new arts campus. Red Mountain Theatre: During the past 40 years, Red Mountain Theatre (RMT) has grown from a summer stock theatre company to a robust year-round professional theatre organization. We’ve quadrupled our staff and consistently grown our student and patron base year after year. Prior to the Arts Campus, we ran our core operations out of three different CONTINUED ON PAGE 19
