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Coming Soon: CAC’s New Performing Arts Center!

The new Central Arizona College Performing Arts Center is a 91,000 SF, ground-up facility designed to restore and expand performing arts opportunities for students and the surrounding community. The south half of the building houses a 1,000-seat theater designed to support professional-level productions. The venue includes a 95-foot-tall fly tower that allows scenery, curtains, and lighting to be lifted and stored high above the stage for rapid scene changes and complex performances. Above the stage, a gridiron supports the rigging systems used to safely raise and lower theatrical equipment and stage sets. The theater also features a 26-foot tall proscenium opening that frames the stage for the audience, along with a dedicated control room and accessible catwalks that allow technicians to operate lighting and stage systems safely. Back-of-house spaces include dressing rooms, private STAR rooms for leading performers, a green room, and large scene shop where stage sets can be constructed and prepared. The theater is designed to accommodate touring productions, with loading areas where semitrailers can connect directly to built-in power systems for efficient setup. Additional features include a concessions bar, box office, a state-of-the-art acoustical system, a dramatic glass curtain wall at the main entrance and a standing seam roof. 

Beyond the theater, the building supports a wide range of academic programs and community uses. Classrooms and labs provide space for entertainment industry technology and music programs, as well as ceramics and kiln operations, metals and welding, hospitality training, and culinary arts. A professional teaching kitchen supports both the culinary program and a second-floor banquet facility designed to host community events and meetings, creating a potential revenue source for the college. The heart of the building is the interior courtyard – a gathering space with cast-in-place seating, string lights and shaded areas for students and visitors. Steel pedestrian bridges connect the building across landscaped areas of campus. 

 This project replaces the former Pence Center auditorium, whose roof collapsed in 2012 and forced the closure of the college’s primary performance venue. The new facility restores that important cultural space while creating a modern home for performers, instruction and community events. Construction began in February 2026, and the facility is scheduled for completion in October 2027.  

Check Back Often This kiosk will keep you informed with construction updates and sneak peeks as progress continues.