Where Art Meets Science

Menlo-Atherton Performing Arts Center

Atherton, CA

Creative Catalyst

Aligning with the school's arts and science-oriented curriculum, this performing arts center incorporates a dynamic hybrid program of practice, rehearsal and performance spaces alongside a dining hall and hands-on workshops to enhance the creative activities and interactions of the actors and musicians who perform there.

A Natural Performer

The building’s broad, overhanging eaves complement the surrounding low-slung classroom buildings, and monumental structural "trees" echo the site’s entry grove of historic oaks. Within the theater, digitally processed luminous screens evoke foliage and modulate acoustics according to the needs of the performer, while a special air plenum contributes to an environment of recording studio silence.

Community Magnet

As the only professional-caliber stage in the region, the center accommodates diverse productions ranging from spoken word to musical theater and orchestral performance, and has hosted the San Francisco Opera and Music at Menlo. Architecturally integrated devices adjust the proscenium width for the varied audience sizes.