Dim the Lights... Performance Spaces at RPI | A Dedicated Home for the Performing Arts

Previous: Committee for the Performing Arts

EMPAC flyer, 2012.

Technological innovations drove the need and designs for what is now the Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC). Over time the curriculum at Rensselaer had shifted toward computer technology, including electronic arts. With experimental artists’ unique needs for studio and performance space in mind, EMPAC was designed for students and faculty, audiences and performers of all varieties.

EMPAC features not only a concert hall, theater and studios with state-of-the-art acoustics and technology, but also a café, exhibit space, and open lobbies for socializing before and after the unique performances held in the center.

When it opened in 2008, EMPAC became Rensselaer’s first completely new center for the performing arts in the Institute’s 180 year history. Its innovative building systems combined with high tech aural and visual experiences makes for a performance space like no other. In the end, patience has paid off for Rensselaer performers and audiences alike.