Art, Music and Theatre
F.W. Olin Hall for Arts and Humanities, home of the Fine
Arts department, offers students a unique opportunity to
experience the energy and excitement of the arts.
Considered one of the best arts facilities in the state, Olin
Hall provides students with the opportunity for scholarly,
creative involvement in art, music, and theatre programs.
Olin Hall serves as a major cultural arts center for the
Roanoke Valley . Some of the outstanding facilities available in
Olin Hall include a 404-seat mainstage theatre with the latest
in computerized lighting and sound systems; a 125-seat
recital hall; a 500-seat outdoor amphitheater; versatile
classrooms; studios; a fine arts library; practice rooms; a special
media room equipped with slide, film, and TV projection;
comfortable student lounges; a 100-seat studio theatre; a
dance and rehearsal hall; faculty offices; a sculpture platform
garden; and a Concert Grand Steinway "D" piano.
In the visual arts, students in Olin Hall can develop their
creativity in modern and fully-equipped painting, drawing,
design, graphic art, computer, photography, printmaking,
ceramic, and sculpture studios and laboratories. Running
parallel to an active studio program for students is the Olin
Hall gallery program, which presents many art exhibitions
and events complementing the art studies, as well as national
touring exhibitions from such institutions as the Virginia
Museum of Fine Arts and the Smithsonian. In addition,
student works are exhibited annually in Olin Hall,
culminating in the senior art student exhibition held each
year in the Olin and Smoyer Galleries.
In music, a student may audition for the Roanoke College
Choir or Women's Chorus, which perform at special events
and on-campus and off-campus programs throughout the
year.A Spring tour is often a part of each choir's schedule.
In addition to voice training and performance, instrumental
groups include the Wind Chamber and Jazz Ensembles. Olin
Hall also provides opportunities to hear the College's resident
chamber ensemble, the Kandinsky Trio.
In theatre, students audition for parts in several theatrical
productions each year. Shows have included Twelfth Night ,
Crimes of the Heart, Fool for Love, Dracula, Extremities,The Glass
Menagerie,The Skin of Our Teeth, Hedda Gabler, Bus Stop,The
Heidi Chronicles, and Godspell . Participation in theatre at
Roanoke College gives students experience in acting, makeup,
set design, lighting, publicity, and other phases of
production.This experience is available to students from all
majors at the College.