Allegany College of Maryland officially reopens the Dr. Robert S. Zimmer Theatre with a special event at 3 p.m. on Friday, October 27, at its Cumberland campus. Shown is an image of the renovated theatre as workers complete final installations.
Celebrating ACM's Past, Present and Future
CUMBERLAND, Md. (Oct. 17, 2023)–Allegany College of Maryland officially reopens the Dr. Robert S. Zimmer Theatre with a special event, Community Takes Center Stage, at 3 p.m. on Friday, October 27, on its Cumberland campus. All are invited to attend the brief rededication ceremony. A college and community gathering with light refreshments will follow.
Dr. William “Chip” Zimmer, the son of the college’s founding president; Professor Jenna Gallion, the chair of the college’s Arts and Humanities Division; and students, Kolby Custer, a forest technology major, and Sadie Strawderman, a nursing major, will offer remarks on the college’s past, present and future.
The ACM student choir will perform two selections and additional students will serve as greeters. Jane Belt, who serves as the vice chair of the college’s board of trustees, and Cynthia Bambara, college president, will provide opening and closing comments. With the audience’s help, Bambara will ceremoniously declare the Zimmer Theatre open.
The Zimmer Theatre, located in ACM’s College Center, underwent a $2.75 million renovation made possible through public and private funding. The college received grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Community Project Funding program, the Appalachian Regional Commission, the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development’s Seed Community Development Anchor Institution program and the Rural Maryland Council’s Rural Maryland Prosperity Investment program. Additionally, ACM Foundation and college funds financed the year-long renovation project.
The update of a community stage for all seasons.
Since its original opening in 1969, the Zimmer Theatre has been home to countless college and community events. Before 2020, it was estimated the theatre was used 353 days per year. The college created a video slideshow of the theatre’s use from archival images.
Prior to the renovation, the theatre received minimal cosmetic and technical upgrades. The full renovation of the Zimmer Theatre has kept many of its original design details intact, including its distinctive arch, apron and stage flooring, and brown brick. The theatre’s chairs and curtains, which were original to the theatre, were replaced by 310 new fixed chairs, half of which have swivel desks, eight spaces for individuals who use wheelchairs, new light gray main and valence curtains, new black leg curtains and black and cream masking curtains. Two retractable 128”x80” projection screens flank the full-size stage. New ceiling acoustic panels and wall panels were added, and LED lighting is installed on stage, overhead and in the control booth. The entire control booth was revamped to accommodate the Zimmer Theatre’s new state-of-the-art sound and light system and multimedia capabilities.
The Community Takes Center Stage ceremony will be livestreamed for those unable to attend in person. For more event information, please contact the Thomas Welcome Center staff at 301-784-5005.
