Choate Rosemary Hall Receives $10 Million Gift for the Arts; The Little Theater at the Paul Mellon Arts Center

WALLINGFORD, Conn., Oct. 16, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Choate Rosemary Hall will name its main stage theater in the Paul Mellon Arts Center, the William T. Little '49 and Frances A. Little Theater in recognition of the donors' lifetime giving to the School, including $10 million to renovate the theater. The gift is one of the largest private donations for the arts in American secondary school education.

The Paul Mellon Arts Center was a gift of benefactor Paul Mellon '25. The building, dedicated in 1972, was designed by award-wining architect I. M. Pei.  He is perhaps best known for the East Wing of the National Gallery, for which the Arts Center served as a prototype, and for the pyramid-shaped entry to the Louvre Museum in Paris. Because of its unique structure, it has been cost prohibitive to renovate the 43-year-old building, which is home to the School's academic arts program, including its Arts Concentration program in music, theater, and the visual arts. It also serves the surrounding community through its Young Artists Saturday and Summer Program, as well as the Wallingford Symphony Orchestra.

A substantial portion of the $10 million gift will be used to refurbish the building's major components, including the lobby; the 770-seat main theater; the experimental theater; scenery shop, and Green Room.

In addition to upgrading the space for theatergoers with physical disabilities, the Little Theater will also provide access for the hearing impaired including assisted listening devices.

Alex D. Curtis, Headmaster, made the announcement at recent faculty and staff meetings praising the Littles' generous donation to the arts. "We are thrilled, because the Paul Mellon Arts Center is central to campus life.  This I.M. Pei building was an architectural breakthrough for its time. Mr. and Mrs. Little's generosity will allow us to make the building contemporary again, placing it at the forefront of arts education in America."

In addition to the Little Theater, Mr. Little, who received the School's 2014 Distinguished Alumnus Award, has helped fund the sculpture garden at the Sally Hart Lodge & Alumni Center. He and his wife, Fran, also funded Phoebe House, the Headmaster's home. They are the grandparents of a 2015 Choate Rosemary Hall graduate who is a passionate student of the arts. Said Mr. Little, a Michigan businessman and investor, "Choate was very instrumental in the development of my psyche; my success in life had a great deal to do with the foundation that Choate provided. I owe a debt of gratitude to the School."

Director of the Arts Kalya Yannatos said, "We are thrilled that the Little Theater will offer audiences a well-equipped, accessible experience, complete with comfortable seating. The renovation also presents us with the opportunity to update light fixtures and various other systems with an eye toward sustainability and the latest technology for theater production. Students, the arts department faculty, the School, and the greater Wallingford community will all benefit in numerous ways from this incredible gift. As an expression of our gratitude, we look forward to giving back to the community in the years ahead through the many exciting performances and events to come."

Among the School's distinguished alumni in the arts are actors Michael Douglas '63; Glenn Close '65; Jamie Lee Curtis '76; Paul Giamatti '85; Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Edward Albee '46; Broadway writer and actor Doug McGrath '76; Academy Award winning screenwriter and film director Geoffrey Fletcher '88; 1986 Medal of the Arts and Humanities recipient, musicologist Alan Lomax '30; and musicians Ian Underwood '57 and Tift Merritt '93.

SOURCE Choate Rosemary Hall