Venue History

The Murray Theatre is located inside Ruth Eckerd Hall’s Marcia P. Hoffman School of the Arts offering state-of-the-art educational programming. This unique and special venue fulfills the mission set out by Ruth Eckerd Hall over 40 years ago of changing lives through the performing arts, while honoring the vision of Ray and Nancy Murray. 

In June 2001, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for a new Educational Institute. In December 2002, the receipt of a major gift from the Hoffman family resulted in the naming of the new state-of-the-art Marcia P. Hoffman Performing Arts Institute.The new education facility included three studio classrooms, four private teaching studios, the Michael & Joan Kline Dance Studio, the Henrietta Campbell Rehearsal Studio, a visual arts learning lab and the new 182-seat Murray Studio Theater. In 2014, the Murray Theatre underwent a renovation, providing a newly reimagined space that is home to thousands of students and performers annually.