Virginia Peninsula Community College in Hampton will rededicate its theater on Saturday, celebrating not only a renovated auditorium but a new name: the Mary T. Christian Theatre.
It was previously called the Mary T. Christian Auditorium, named after the late legislator and educator who died in 2019 at the age of 95.
According to a news release, the "theatre" label better honors Christian, who loved live performances and produced community plays and talent shows.
The British "theatre" spelling, according to the release, was a stylistic choice that felt appropriate given the "elevated artistic direction of the space."
Renovation work began two years after the roof of the old theater collapsed in April 2021, when the school was closed because of the pandemic.
While the former facility seated 470, the expanded space accommodates nearly 500, including six accessibility seats. Where the facility once had more wrap-around seating, the seats on the extreme right and left of the room have been removed to improve viewing of the stage.
There are multiple accessible entrances to the building, larger restrooms immediately adjacent to the theater and a sensory-friendly respite room off the lobby.
A big change behind the scenes is the addition of a counterweight system, which will make set changes easier. There is more space stage right, allowing for quicker access for prop and costume changes.
Christian taught in Hampton public schools and was the first Black woman to serve on the School Board. She was also a professor and later the dean of Hampton University's School of Education.
She became the first woman from Hampton elected to the state legislature and the first Black person since Reconstruction to represent Virginia’s 92nd House District. She served nine consecutive terms, according to a news release.
The rededication event begins at 6 p.m. in Templin Hall.