John Goodman Amphitheatre at MSU wins design award

The applause isn’t coming only from Missouri State University (MSU) theater patrons following performances in the university’s new alfresco space, the John Goodman Amphitheatre. This summer, design and development firm Fabritecture won the STA Special Commendation (Internationally Fabricated Projects) award for the project.

For this outdoor venue, the design had to take weather into consideration but also the need for proper sound absorption as a performing arts locale. The 7,700-square-foot space has room for about 350 removable seats and is more accessible to those with reduced mobility; previously, the university would erect a tent on a concrete slab annually for the outdoor performances. The university’s summer theater series, still to be known as Tent Theatre, hosted its inaugural season in its new space this past summer.

Besides Tent Theatre events, the space can also host lectures, comedians, concerts, other cultural events and even outdoor classes. 

The project was four years in the planning and finally opened to the public in fall 2022, about a year and a half after its groundbreaking, thanks to some supply chain delays. About half of the funding for the project came from private donors, including three alumni well known to the university, Tim Reynolds, Judith Enyeart Reynolds and actor John Goodman. Enyeart Reynolds worked in the English department from 1966 until 1994 and is the namesake of the arts park where the amphitheater is located on campus.

Project name 

John Goodman Amphitheatre

Location 

Springfield, Mo.

Design and installation 

Fabritecture

Fabric 

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