An artist’s rendering of what the new campus will look like. Photo submitted.

Though the Red Mountain Theatre Company has been entertaining Birmingham for four decades, the nonprofit company has yet to find a forever home until now. On December 11th, groundbreaking will commence for RMTC’s brand new arts campus.

Here are three reasons to get excited about the company’s latest development.

1. RMTC will finally be all in one place

Next month, construction will begin on this space located just one block away from Railroad Park. Photo by Lauren Moore for Bham Now.

Currently, RMTC is housed in multiple locations all around Birmingham. For rehearsals, productions and classes, the locations are always subject to change from time to time.

“Right now, our administration office is in a different location than our production office, so if we have to meet, it’s ‘who’s coming which direction, are we coming there or are they coming here?’” said Drew Francis, Creative and Marketing Director at RMTC. “It’s being able to walk down the hall for something as simple as having a meeting that I’m looking forward to; it will be less challenging.”

Now, everything will all be located in the space on 1600 3rd Ave. S between 16th & 17th Streets S next to Regions Field. When it comes to the active businesses in this area, RMTC plans to build around them rather than take over their space.

“It has been a dream for us to consolidate our programming in order to better serve our community,” said Keith Cromwell, Executive Director of RMTC.

With the new space, staff, performers and attendees can enjoy the convenience of everything being within the same city block.

2. There are exciting new amenities

Rather than running all over town, RMTC members can enjoy working in a single space together. Photo submitted.

The campus will include a more than 10,000-square foot Education Center. Within the Education Center will be the 100-seat Discovery Theatre plus rehearsal and classroom spaces.

“RMTC is right at the heart of our city, and this space will allow us to be more efficient and more effective in our mission of enriching, educating and engaging our community,” said RMTC Board Past-President and capital campaign chair Kathryn Harbert.

The main theatre can transform from intimate cabaret seating, with small tables and chairs at approximately 360 seats, to a large proscenium style theatre with approximately 450 seats.

“We’d also like to put a black box theatre within the Discovery theatre,” Francis said.

The Grand Lobby will include a full-service bar and a Donor Lounge that can convert into a small piano bar to entertain guests when the theatre doesn’t have a performance.

“We hope for this new space to also be a venue that people can rent out and use,” Francis said.

3. There’s an opportunity to expand Birmingham’s creative scene

Bigger productions of shows like Frozen Jr. will be possible at the new campus. Photo from Red Mountain Theatre Company website.

By creating this new space, RMTC can expand the size of its productions and increase the teaching and programs that they currently have available.

“We envision an arts campus where artists can create, students can develop life – and theatre – skills, and where for-profit and nonprofit can drive economic growth together,” Cromwell said.

Currently, RMTC has a number of programs available to help teach the youth of Birmingham from ages 5-18. These programs include outreach residencies, skill-building classes, camps, the RMTC Conservatory and youth performance opportunities.

More information will be available on the new building next month as the time draws nearer to the construction start date.

Are there any other buildings underway in the Birmingham area that we should cover? Reach out to us @bhamnow on social and let us know!