LORETTO — A vision to enhance and expand theatrical, musical, visual and performing arts at Saint Francis University includes renovating bricks-and-mortar facilities, an expanded curriculum and greater community engagement through new partnerships and public performance offerings.

At the helm of the expansion is Daniel Atwood, who holds a doctorate in education with a focus in organizational leadership.

Atwood was named director of The Center for Fine Arts after being hired in 2011 to form a university marching band.

Atwood’s role expanded last year, as the university reorganized and restructured into three schools from four — and the Arts moved into the School of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics, now known as STEAM.

Saint Francis has been riding an extensive renovation and new building wave since the early 2000s, said Marie Melusky, associate vice president for Advance-ment and director of the Annual Fund for Excellence. (See sidebar.)

The University has undertaken a $3 million renovation project for an experimental theater space known as a black box for its square shape, black walls and a flat floor. This creates a flexible performance space with variable seating capacity.

Named The Resinski Black Box Theatre, it is to be built at the site of the current physical plant building. It would provide a dedicated 10,000-square-foot home for theater arts students and complete a Fine Arts Complex including the Music Boiler House and Art Garage.

The university is in the middle of a “grassroots” fund-raising campaign led by alumni volunteers. The new theater is named after the late theater director/ drama professor Kenny Resinki and his wife, Bonnie.

The new state-of-the-art theater would provide flexible seating for up to 200 people — a venue available for performances, speakers, concerts and lectures offered by both the university and communities.

Construction will begin once two-thirds of the funds have been raised for the project, Melusky said, and preliminary designs have been created by Pittsburgh-based architects IKM.

The new performance center would alleviate scheduling conflicts with the University’s John F. Kennedy Student Center, Atwood said, and include a large outdoor plaza that would function as an ample gathering space for hosting receptions and even movie screenings and event watch parties, Atwood said.

The expansion will allow Saint Francis to offer inclusive theatrical productions — open to students in all majors — unlike other universities that limit theater production participation to drama majors.

The Center for Fine Arts expansion project will help the university recruit students in music, theater and visual arts just as new athletic facilities attract top student-athletes, Atwood said. It would also allow the university to become more engaged with the community and serve as a cultural and intellectual hub to grow arts experiences for campus and nearby communities.

For example, the university’s second concert series starts Sept. 7 with The Vogues. October features Cambria County musician Josh Gallagher Oct. 25 and new to the lineup is comedy with Jourdain Fisher Nov. 23.

“Our hope is to grow and expand our Concert Series to include a variety of productions including various genres of music, theater, dance and performance art,” Atwood said.

Tickets are $10 for students and $20 for adults. Get tickets at francis.edu/ SFUConcertSeries.

Mirror Staff Writer Patt Keith is at 949-7030.

Investments in learning

Over the past several years, Saint Francis University has committed more than $50 million to these projects:

n The Degol Field, 2005

n The DeGol Fieldhouse, 2008

n The DiSepio Institute for Rural Health and Wellness, 2009

n The Science Center, 2013

n Renovated Schwab Hall, home to the Shields School of Business, 2016

n The Experiential Learning Commons, a 10,000-square-foot addition attached to both Sullivan Hall and the DiSepio Institute for Rural Health and Wellness, opens this fall. The Commons is Phase 1 of a current $20 million renovation to Sullivan Hall, home to the School of Health Sciences and Education.