Within the Marshall Performing Arts Center there is a 550-seat flexible thrust/proscenium theatre as well as a black-box experimental theatre. Multiple studios provide designated space for actors, designers, and dancers, while fully equipped scenic, welding, and costume shops, in addition to state-of-the-art lighting and sound equipment, allow student designers and technicians to explore their crafts in lab and production work. Reflecting the collaborative energy that is at the heart of the performing arts, MPAC is an active home for performers, writers, directors, designers, and technicians, as well as audiences.
MPAC was built in 1974 for $2.8 million, and was named after the parents of Ms. Julia and Caroline Marshall and Ms. Jessica Marshall Spencer (Albert and Julia N. Marshall) who were major donors to the building. Ms. Marjorie Congdon Dudley also donated, and is honored by the naming of the Dudley Experimental Theatre (within MPAC).
The 100-seat black box Dudley Experimental Theatre has a flexible seating arrangement, presenting two UMD Theatre productions and three Stage 2 productions annually.