A groundbreaking ceremony for the W.S. and Frances Billingsley Theatre was held Oct. 1 at North Greenville University.
Jack Billingsley, pictured with North Greenville University students at an Oct. 1 groundbreaking ceremony, recently made a gift with his wife to establish the W.S. and Frances Billingsley Theatre in memory of his parents.The $1 million, 12,000-square-foot facility, scheduled to open in the fall of 2010, will seat almost 300.
The project was made possible by a gift from Jack and Patti Billingsley of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., in memory of Billingsley’s parents.
The facility will feature a two-story front entrance that includes a ticket booth, lobby and concessions area. Around the exterior of the theatre, a stamped cement walkway will make up a patron’s plaza that will include outdoor lighting, benches and a water fountain.
“The Billingsley Theatre will be a premiere space for theatrical productions, a black-box theatre on a par with any in the Upstate,” said Dale Savidge, chair of the theatre department.
“We are grateful to the Billingsley family and other members of the North Greenville family for their generous gifts in making this theatre possible for our school,” Savidge said. “As artists, we depend on the generosity and faithfulness of Christian business people to support our efforts. By their gift, the Billingsleys will have an impact on audiences and students at NGU for many years to come.”
The theatre is the third phase of the Village at Tigerville. Phase one was the Studio at Ole’ 414. It houses faculty offices and classroom space for the art department. Phase two was the Eddie Runion Creative Arts Center, which provides space for the art department and accommodates a bank and a bagel shop. Phase three includes the old Tigerville elementary school building, which has been renovated to become faculty offices and classroom space for the school of theatre. – NGU