PRIOR PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

The Prior Performing Arts Center is an 84,000-square-foot, $110 million performing arts facility at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. The center houses a 400-seat Luth Concert Hall with a proscenium stage, a 200-seat flexible Studio Theatre, and the relocated Cantor Art Gallery. It was designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, the New York-based architecture firm.

The Luth Concert Hall features sustainably harvested West African makore hardwood and custom-developed rippling concrete wall panels designed for concert-quality acoustics. Programming includes concerts, opera, drama, dance, and multimedia performances. The center also includes production spaces, rehearsal rooms, a recording studio, galleries, and outdoor performance gardens. It serves as a venue for Music Worcester and other community organizations in addition to college programming.

The Prior Performing Arts Center opened in September 2022. The building anchors the Upper District of the Holy Cross campus, with four pavilions organized around a central hub called the Beehive: the Multipurpose Theater, Studio Theater, Art/Media, and Practice/Production wings.