SPU Theatre generally holds its productions in one of three performance venues — the E.E. Bach Mainstage Theatre, the McKinley Studio Theatre, and the Backstage Theatre space. The diversity of these spaces offers you exposure to both formal and informal theatre arrangements, for audiences large and small.
We invite you to visit SPU and tour these performance spaces, attend our performances, or both.
E.E. Bach Mainstage Theatre
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Our Mainstage Theatre, located in McKinley Hall, is one of Seattle’s finest small theatres. With the 1,000-square-foot James Chapman stage and a seating capacity of more than 250, E.E. Bach is large enough to host sizable productions, with every seat having an excellent view of the stage. Mainstage presentations make full use of E.E. Bach’s design capabilities and equipment, with an interesting blend of proscenium and thrust staging.
McKinley Studio Theatre
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The McKinley Studio Theatre is a 50-seat, black box theater with flexible seating. Home to our bi-annual Student-Directed One Act Plays, this is an intimate performance space that highlights the dynamic relationship between the performer and the audience.
Backstage Theatre
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This unique theatre space McKinley Hall is created by arranging 90 chairs on risers in a thrust configuration in the E.E. Bach backstage - behind the proscenium, facing the house. These “backstage” productions have included children’s plays, intimate dramas, chamber musicals, and regularly feature the work of student designers.