Reif Center In Grand Rapids Presents New Brand & New Look

The Reif Center in Grand Rapids is re-branding, and it’s all about creating the best community experience possible.

“This $11 million renovation really took us about three years to get through the entire renovation, and we’re still finishing up some of the very final details to make that happen,” says David Marty, the president of the Reif Arts Council.

The changes were meant to bring new life in the performance arena.

Marty says, “The lobby space is much expanded. It’s an opportunity for people to meet and gather before performances, after performances, to share stories, to be together.”

The Reif Center hosts up to 50 touring performances each year, not to mention shows from Grand Rapids High School. There’s also a dance studio. The building’s new features are meant to optimize the space to create the best shows possible.

“We have a Reif dance program and we’ve renovated the dance studios so that we have three 2000 to 2500 square feet studios,” says Marty.

He adds, “Main stage, the Wilcox Theater, has been renovated with entirely new seating. We’ve lifted the height of the ceiling above the stage. We’ve created a full fly space. That allows us to bring in some major touring, theater performances now that simply we didn’t have the capacity to do before.”

There’s also a new stage for smaller productions with more intimate seating. Marty says, “We’ve created the new Mary Ives Studio Theater which is a 200-seat studio theater with retractable seating.”

The whole idea behind he re-branding is to bring a new kind of Reif magic to new generations.

“We’re re-branding to have a fresh new look to come out to the community and say this is our Reif center for the entire region! Come on in and share the joy, share experience in the arts!” says Marty.

Along with the building, the website also got a new look. That’s where you’ll be able to find all the upcoming show dates. Another part of the re-branding is that tickets for events can be purchased online without additional fees.

Marty says, “The idea that we have is that this is not one single thing, but that this is the community’s place to share stories, share performances, share events.”