Envisioned as a vibrant cultural hub, the Spieker Center for the Performing Arts will complete our physical campus and will be a dynamic place where our entire community can gather, connect, learn, share ideas, and be immersed in the arts. It will showcase Menlo’s wonderful arts performances as well as other exciting experiences such as TED-type talks, cross-curriculum classes, film and music festivals, public speaking workshops, lecture series, alumni events, Grandparents’ Day, and other special events. The 40,000-square-foot center, which features a nearly 400-seat auditorium, will host approximately 80 annual performances showcasing the work of more than 80% of Menlo’s entire student body in any given year, and 100% of our students over the course of their journey through the School. 

Situated in the heart of our campus, immediately across from the new Dining Commons and surrounded by the Middle School, Johnson Family Athletic Center, Creative Arts and Design Center, and Upper School, the Spieker Center is the final piece of the puzzle that completes our central campus. Designed to house all of our Middle and Upper School performing arts groups—including drama, dance, orchestra, jazz, and chorus—as well as guest lectures, film and music festivals, and numerous special events, it will serve every member of the Menlo community, both as performers and audience members.

The Spieker Center for the Performing Arts features include:

• The lobby is designed to serve as a community space. It’s a place to arrive at the performance hall and talk with friends during intermission and view art in the gallery. Also a centralized space for general meetings and special events, it has floor-to-ceiling glass along three walls that offers an inviting indoor-outdoor feel and makes the interior visible to those passing by outside.
• The state-of-the-art auditorium provides optimal views of the stage from every seat and is acoustically designed to provide an exceptional audience experience for drama, dance, and music performances as well as for our distinguished Music@Menlo summer festival. It will also be equipped for professional-level recording of productions.
• The orchestra pit and concert shell provide flexibility to showcase different types of music. This will elevate our performances and offer opportunities for unique collaborations across performing disciplines.
• A 40-foot-wide stage includes space in the wings to accommodate large sets and casts and will allow for greater participation and more expansive productions.
• An adjacent scenic shop allows for onsite set construction and painting. It is designed to also serve as a teaching space for more formalized technical theater programs that can foster scenic design.
• The Spieker Center also includes a tech booth, recording space, dressing rooms, green room, costume shop, and scenic storage.
• New office space for Music@Menlo will better enable this world-renowned chamber music festival and institute to bring first-class artists to our campus and make these programs richer and more impactful for our students.
• The Spieker Center completes an Athletics and Art Plaza surrounded by the Johnson Family Athletic Center and Creative Arts and Design Center. A sports walkway and outdoor gallery and gathering space form a promenade alongside the building that calls out the path to our athletic fields.
• The Dance program will move into a renovated space in the Creative Arts and Design Center. This studio is designed to replicate the same square footage as the PAC stage to allow for optimal rehearsal space, and includes state of the art sound equipment, mirrors, ballet bars, and sprung dance floor.

Menlo prides itself on providing transformative experiences for students through excellent academic, athletic, and arts curriculum. The proposed Spieker Center for the Performing Arts not only aligns the arts program with academics and athletics, but it will also stand as a beacon on our campus and in our community for fostering creative thought that transcends disciplines. Visitors and the Menlo community will see that the School is energetically committed to fostering these unique talents. No longer an addendum to the Menlo education, Menlo’s creative and performing arts program, with appropriate buildings and infrastructure, will become an essential partner in achieving the School’s mission to “empower students to reach their fullest potential, develop skills necessary for success in college, and become responsible engaged members of ever wider communities.”