Drama Building (Culbreth and Helms Theatres)
(Map C, Building 7 [C3])
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The Drama Building, opened in 1974, houses two theatre spaces, classrooms, scenery, property and costume shops, and offices for the drama department. Culbreth Theatre, a traditional proscenium seating 595, was built with funds from Dr. David M. R. Culbreth (Med 1877) and named for his mother. The Helms Theatre, with flexible staging for audiences of 160 to 200, was named for James Strother Helms (Col '51, GSAS '58), an active participant in U.Va. theatre who died tragically young. The building also houses the Lois Garren Collection of Historic Dress, named for the alumna and former faculty member who initiated the collection. Items from the Garren Collection are often displayed in the building's lobby.