Diamond Theater
The 307-seat Diamond Theater is the centerpiece of the theatre department—a flexible thrust space that immerses audiences in the action. With more than 4,000 square feet of performance area, the theater hosts four major productions each year. Designed for both intimacy and scale, it features a full lighting tension grid, fly space for scenic storage, and adjacent scene and paint studios. The Diamond’s layout invites bold staging choices and fosters direct connection between performers and audience.
Black Box Theater
The Black Box Theater is the theatre department’s laboratory for experimentation—a 2,000-square-foot flexible performance space where students and faculty bring bold ideas to life. With seating for up to 100 audience members, a full lighting tension grid, and reconfigurable staging, the Black Box transforms to fit the artistic vision of each production.
Here, the focus is on process, collaboration, and discovery. Students use the space to test new forms of storytelling, from original devised work to contemporary plays and intimate acting projects. It’s a place where creative risks are encouraged, mistakes become lessons, and imagination drives every decision.
Whether rehearsing a class project, staging a workshop performance, or exploring movement and media, students in the Black Box learn to make theatre that is immediate, inventive, and alive.
Scene Shop
The Scene Shop is the heartbeat of Lehigh Theatre’s production process—a 2,500-square-foot creative workspace inside the Zoellner Arts Center where ideas become reality. With soaring 30-foot ceilings, a full suite of professional tools, and direct backstage access to the Diamond Theater through a large roll-up door, the shop supports all technical and scenic elements for our mainstage productions.
Here, students learn by doing. Under the guidance of our skilled technical staff, they design, build, and paint scenery for plays and musicals of every scale. The shop features specialized zones for carpentry, scenic painting, welding, and rigging, along with a dedicated area for tools, hardware, and materials. Additional storage spaces house an extensive collection of props and scenic elements used throughout the season.
No prior experience is required—just curiosity and a willingness to learn. Every student receives hands-on training in safe, professional theatre practices. Whether fulfilling a course lab, participating in work-study, or joining as a student artist, Scene Shop students gain practical skills, creative confidence, and a behind-the-scenes understanding of how great theatre is made.
Costume Shop
The Costume Shop is open to students from all disciplines—whether majoring in theatre, studying biochemistry with a love for storytelling, or pursuing engineering with an eye for design. For many, it becomes one of the most transformative spaces in their Lehigh experience.
Here, creativity meets craftsmanship. Every detail matters—from threading a needle to tailoring a garment. Students learn to think like designers: intentional, curious, and precise. Under the guidance of professional staff and faculty, they develop technical sewing skills, explore textile and fashion construction, and gain an understanding of how costume design shapes character and story on stage.
Beyond skill-building, the Costume Shop fosters collaboration and confidence. Whether pursuing a career in the arts, exploring design for the first time, or simply seeking a welcoming place to create, students find a community here that values imagination, process, and hands-on artistry.
