There is reason to celebrate: Dayton’s stunning new arts venue is marking its first year open.
The community last year was invited to get its first peek inside the University of Dayton’s sleek new building at the corner of Main and Stewart Streets, the first UD building exclusively dedicated to the visual and performing arts.
In the year since, the Roger Glass Center for the Arts has hosted 135 events with a total attendance of nearly 12,000. It’s become a popular destination for a wide variety of university events — from orchestra performances and dance concerts to art exhibitions, book launches and fully staged musicals.
Hayden Parsons, a UD senior from Tipp City, said the center has been an “incredible” addition to the campus.
“As a Media Production student, I’m enrolled in a documentary course where we spend the entire year writing, filming, and editing a 20-minute documentary, with this year’s focus on foster care,” she said.
Most of the events are free of charge. There’s free parking in two large lots and the building is totally accessible with concert hall seats especially designed to accommodate wheelchairs.
Available to the community
Outside groups are making use of the facility as well. In May, when the NATO Parliamentary Assembly comes to town, there will be 12 free public forums featuring some of the delegates and special guests.
In June, the romantic film “Matchmaker” will kick off the 2025 Dayton Jewish Film Festival. Other June events include a performance by the Dayton Gay Men’s Chorus, and a production of “Macbeth” staged by Gem City Groundlings, a new local acting troupe.
“The Glass Center was a perfect venue for our Pecha Kucha event,” said Margaret Maloney, who works on the popular series of free informal talks. “The space was not only visually stunning but also an ideal fit for a community gathering of our size — welcoming over 300 attendees while still feeling intimate and engaging. The atmosphere truly enhanced the experience, making it a memorable night of storytelling and connection.”
Meet Kyra Smith
Keeping it all running smoothly is Kyra Smith, managing director of the center, who oversees everything from ticketing and audience services to scheduling and community relations. Assisting her are four full-time staff members.
Credit: Bryant Billing
Credit: Bryant Billing
Smith was working on her doctorate in Louisiana and handling audience services at a non-profit in Baton Rouge when she spotted the UD job opportunity on a listserv for theater academics. Although she had never been to Dayton she’d heard a lot about it from her brother who had taken a job here during the pandemic. Smith first toured the building in a hard hat and reflective vest when it was under construction.
“The more I learned about the University of Dayton, the more I wanted to get involved,” said Smith, who grew up in Newtown, Connecticut and has been involved with theater since the age of five. In college she veered from acting to directing and theater administration. “I find that a lot of arts people aren’t organized and a lot of administrators don’t understand the arts. I feel I can bridge that gap.”
Smith said the University has been planning to build an arts center for the past 30 years. It was thanks to the vision and lead gift of Dayton-area entrepreneur and philanthropist Roger Glass that the dream became reality. Glass, class of 1967, once played the trumpet in UD’s marching band. A communication major, he later became president and CEO of Marion’s Pizza.
“We had performance facilities on campus but they didn’t always meet the needs of our performing arts groups,” Smith said. “The Glass Center is more accessible to the public. We have upgraded theater facilities, added a larger art gallery with exhibits changing every six weeks and we have a huge lobby for receptions.”
What’s there
Overall, the center is 51,000 square-feet and is made up of four separate buildings. An air gap between buildings ensures that students and patrons never hear outside noise.
“You can’t hear the sirens or helicopters from Miami Valley Hospital and you can’t hear the busy traffic on Main Street,” said Smith. “And this also prevents a bleed of sound from one performance space to another.”
Credit: Bryant Billing
Credit: Bryant Billing
Patrick Enright, director of Flyer Media, said the upgraded facilities and equipment have made a world of difference in both the learning spaces and in the ability to create media content.
“We produce a number of video projects for entities both on and off campus and it has been amazing being able to work with students on these projects in such a top-notch space.”
Enright said students are getting real hands-on experience, working on real world projects while also creating content for their portfolios.
“We also have a brand new podcasting studio, which is getting a ton of use from students from all areas of campus. The upgraded radio station is also a great space for students to learn new skills that can help them upon graduation. We also have a dedicated space for Flyer News, where student journalists can gather to work on our digital offerings.”
Theater, dance and performance technology can now collaborate more easily. The Department of Music and the Theatre, Dance, and Performance Technology program will soon present “Fledermaus Unmasked”. Tickets are still available.
“Having the Glass Center on campus has been really neat,” said Luke de Villiers, class of 2025, who serves as Musical Arts Learning Lab Manager. “The various performing spaces, each of which is adjustable to the needs of the performer or ensemble, have elevated the possibilities of what we can do. I’ve learned a lot about myself as a performer and musician from the opportunities the space has provided.”
Galleries Director Nicholaus Arnold opened the art gallery at the center with a group exhibition of 90 different local artists called “Get Together.” He said the idea was to reflect the new space as a meeting point between the greater Dayton community and the university. Since then the gallery has featured several student exhibitions, visiting artists from Denver, Rhode Island and Mississippi. and faculty research.
“Both the Dayton community and our student body here at UD have been pretty enthusiastic about our gallery programming, and our specific balance of both local, national, and internationally known artists,” Arnold said. “Students having the chance to exhibit in such spectacular new space sometimes alongside these well known artists has been a really treasured opportunity for them.”
Behind the scenes
While it’s fun to attend an event at the Glass Center, it’s also fascinating to take a behind-the-scenes tour of the building with Smith who is happy to provide a free one hour tour to any interested groups. She’ll also come to your meetings or gatherings to introduce the center.
On the tour, she details state-of-the-art features. One example is the 16 miles of wooden dowels in the 386-seat concert hall. They not only look gorgeous but allow the black curtains behind them to be moved and adjusted depending on the specific acoustical needs of each performance.
Another is the tension wire grid above the Experimental Theatre, TV and Radio studios.
“Students can walk across it to stand solidly on two feet while hanging and focusing lights rather than leaning out of a Genie lift,” Smith said. “And usually it requires the worst ladders to access the tech booth in a theater but we have an elevator lift so that anyone can do lighting or sound design.”
There’s a temperature-controlled storage room that holds two concert pianos and an organ; there are dressing rooms where performers can view and hear what’s going on onstage.
Hayden Parsons said being able to brainstorm and create in a bright, welcoming environment has made a huge difference in her life as a student. “I’ve worked on multiple projects, from building tours to interviews, and I know this space will continue to inspire and support future Flyers for years to come.”
HOW TO GO
• NATO-related events will be May 22-24. They are all free, but tickets are required and will be available May 1. For updated into: natopa-dayton2025.org
• For a complete list of upcoming events at the Glass Center, see https://udayton.edu/artssciences/about/facilities/glass-center-arts/glass-center-events.php
Credit: Knack Video + Photo
Credit: Knack Video + Photo
Credit: Knack Video + Photo
Credit: Knack Video + Photo
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