Facilities & Venues - Arts - McDonogh School

Facilities & Venues

Clarence A. Burck Center for the Arts

The Burck Center reflects McDonogh School's commitment to arts education for all ages. Built in 1998 on the cornerstone of the former Edward’s Gym, The Burck Center is a 27,00 square foot, professional-quality arts facility that includes the Ceres M. Horn Theatre and accompanying tech booth, the Osborne Black Box Theatre, the concert and jazz band room, practice rooms, dressing rooms, music technology, and the Upper School vocal music room.

Ceres M. Horn Theatre

Erected in 1998 as part of The Clarence A. Burck Center for the Performing Arts, the Ceres M. Horn Theatre is the largest performance venue on campus, boasting 585 seats and state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems. The theatre is used for more than 2,000 events each year, including assemblies, concerts, lectures, performances, and meetings. 

Klein Lyceum

Located on the lower level of the Edward St. John Student Center, the Klein Lyceum is a versatile and accessible space with 171 seats. Among its features are a Bluthner Grand piano; four sections of Wenger choral risers; podium; projection capabilities with HDMI computer inputs from onstage, back of house, or BluRay; backstage green room; basic LED front-of-house stage lighting; and up to three wireless microphones and three wired microphones

Osborne Black Box Theatre

Located on the lower level of the Burck Center, the Black Box Theatre is an intimate and versatile performance space. Among its features are exposed lighting grid for adjustable light configurations; sound and lighting board; and temporary stage and seating that can be moved, rebuilt, and reconfigured as needed

Kelly Center

The Kelly Center is a Lower School Performing Arts room located on the ground level of Elderkin Hall. The room is equipped with a SMARTBoard, projector, and speakers.

Dance Studio

Situated on the lower level of the Edward St. John Student Center, the dance studio is spacious, open, and equipped with theatre-quality lighting. Among its features are a Harlequin sprung floor system; full-length mirrors; a double ballet barre; boys and girls locker rooms; and costume storage.

Art Studios

Considerable studio spaces in the Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools provide visual artists from all three divisions with space and resources, including two Lower School art studios; one woodworking studio; two Middle School art studios and a makerspace; one Upper School woodworking studio; three Upper School studios; one darkroom studio; and a digital media studio.

Tuttle Gallery

The Tuttle Gallery is the premiere display space for student and professional art exhibitions. Each year, the Tuttle Gallery features exhibits of original works by McDonogh students, alumni, and visiting artists whose work has been displayed nationally. Located on the third floor of the Edward St. John Student Center, the Tuttle Gallery is open during school hours. The gallery holds extended hours for exhibit openings. 

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Carillon

Throughout the year, the McDonogh carillon chimes the Westminster quarters and hours. When school or camp is in session, 23 bells are programmed to play a hymn or familiar tune every weekday in the morning and again in the afternoon.

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Tagart Memorial Chapel

With its marvelous acoustics, large organ, and baby grand piano, the Tagart Memorial Chapel is used as the rehearsal space for Upper School choral ensembles and as the performance venue for the Concert Choir's annual Winter Holiday Concert. It is also used for Lower School programs, special events, and recitals.

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Outdoor Venues

There is plenty of outdoor space available for visual and performing arts activities. The sprawling campus provides a lovely setting for visual artists on warm days. Outdoor performances have been held on Childs Memorial Terrace at the foot of Chapel Hill. The Lower School's Carpenter Outdoor Classroom, a tiered amphitheater outside Elderkin Hall, is designed for performances, demonstrations, and improvisational theater. The Upper School's Blumberg Outdoor Classroom outside Keelty Building is yet another venue.