Below is a complete list of the facilities available to Music & Theatre.
Carver Hall
Carver 300 Computer Lab
A theatre technology lab is open to ISU students. Contains ten 24" iMacs.
Carver 308 Theatre Rehearsal Lab
Carver 308 is the space used for the performance-based Theatre classes. The room is also sees regular use as rehearsal space for ISU Theatre productions. This space is available to students when it is not in use for classes or ISU Music & Theatre rehearsals and can be reserved by emailing lsulz@iastate.edu.
To check availability, please see the calendar here. The room is equipped with A/V equipment, two scene and computerized lighting control, light board, and dance mirrors.
Carver 338 Design Studio
Carver 308 is the Theatre classroom that is used for classes including Introduction to Technical Production, Stagecraft, and Advanced Design classes. The design studio has twenty drafting tables plus space for craft work, as well as individual locker space for student projects. The room is equipped for both wired and wireless Internet. To check availability, please see the calendar here.
Landscape Architecture 0001 Studio
0001 Landscape Architecture is a space used for rehearsals. This space is available to students when not in use for ISU Music and Theatre rehearsals and can be reserved by emailing lsulz@iastate.edu. Check availability by viewing the calendar.
Fisher Theatre
No member of the audience is more than 13 rows from the speaker in the uniquely designed 451-seat Fisher Theater. The building also features a media booth and full lighting capabilities. It is a perfect setting for intimate performances.
Capacity
There are 424-permanent seats; 26-portable seats; and wheelchair spaces available.
Features
Loading dock; freight elevator; truck parking; stage; two dressing rooms; mobility-impaired access for audience members.
Equipment
Permanent sound system; portable sound system; in-house intercom; lighting system; piano; acoustical shell; dance floor; 20 counterweighted line sets.
ISU Music & Theatre’s scene and costume shops are located in Fisher Theatre and occupy over 3,600 square feet. There, ISU students perform all scenic and costume construction for theatre’s six show season.
The scene shop is fully equipped with industrial wood and metal tools, as well as a full pneumatic system. The paint shop includes a HVLP spray system. The scene shop is the location for the lab sections of the Theatre Practicum, Introduction to Theatrical Production, and Stagecraft classes as well as painting labs.
The Fisher Theater costume shop is equipped with home and industrial sewing machines, as well as sergers, industrial 
pressing equipment, and other specialized machines.
The cutting tables have drop leaves for cutting large pattern pieces, while folding down to maximize space, with the cutting room also doubling as the actors’ Green Room during productions.
The dressing rooms in Fisher are equipped with bathrooms and shower facilities.
Simon Estes Music Hall
The music building, opened in 1980, is an exemplary music facility, recognized for its excellent acoustical design. There are rooms for large ensemble rehearsals, small ensemble rehearsals, a percussion practice room, an instrument repair facility, practice rooms containing pianos, and an outstanding recital hall. Large instruments and lockers for instrument storage are available for rental to students performing in ensembles. Many large ensemble concerts take place in either the Martha-Ellen Tye Recital Hall or the internationally acclaimed Stephens Auditorium. The Music and Theatre Department houses and maintains an electronic music studio that features a wide range of analog and digital sound synthesis and recording equipment which may be used by students who enroll in composition studies. Additionally, there is a computer lab with MIDI and digital audio workstations.
The music building is equipped with over sixty pianos, including twenty-two Steinway grands. A practice wing on the ground floor has grand pianos which are reserved for piano majors and advanced piano students. Beginning and intermediate students study group piano in a modern electronic piano lab. In addition to three practice organs, including two by Lynn Dobson of Lake City, Iowa, there is a three-manual pipe organ built by John Brombaugh in the Recital Hall. The newly-renovated Stanton Memorial Carillon is a well-loved ISU symbol. A practice clavier, similar to the carillon, is located in the Simon Estes Music Hall.
Hours
| Building Hours | Main Office Hours | Main Office Summer Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Open from 7 am - 11 pm daily. | Monday - Friday: 8 am - 5 pm | Monday - Friday: 7:30 am - 4 pm |
Computer Lab
The department's computer lab (room 52-56) is open during the academic year. A schedule of open hours will be posted at the beginning of each semester. Open hours will depend on funding and student worker availability. The computer lab is funded largely through student computer fees and complies with LAS Computer Advisory Committee (LASCAC) requirements. MIDI workstations with various music software programs are available for student class use. Suggestions and/or questions regarding the computer lab should be directed to Chad Jacobsen.
Music Room 056 Computer Lab Schedule
Last Updated 2/11/2025
Lab Open Hours
Monday: 10am - 12pm, 2pm - 3pm, 4pm - 10pm
Tuesday: 11am - 1pm, 3pm - 7pm
Wednesday: 10am - 1pm, 2pm - 3pm, 5pm - 8pm
Thursday: 11am - 2pm, 4pm - 8pm
Friday: 10am - 1pm, 2pm - 5pm
Sunday: 11am - 9pm
The Computer Lab will not be open during holiday breaks
Organs/Harpsichords
The department owns four pipe organs: a seven-stop, two-manual tracker-action instrument by Wolff of Quebec and two two-manual mechanical action organs by Lynn Dobson of Lake City, Iowa, one of three stops and one of seventeen stops. A large three-manual tracker organ of John Brombaugh, situated in the Recital Hall, is available to experienced organ students for lessons, accompanying, and performances.
A harpsichord is available: a large two-manual instrument by William Dowd. These instruments are available for departmental events provided that the performer is a qualified organist/harpsichordist and that permission has been obtained. Students should contact the music office for information.
Carillon
The Department of Music and Theatre houses a Carillon practice console in Simon Estes Music Hall.
To inquire about tours of the Iowa State Campanile Carillon or the practice console, contact University Carillonneur, Tin-Shi Tam.
Martha-Ellen Tye Recital Hall
The Martha-Ellen Tye Recital Hall is considered one of the premier acoustic environments in the Midwest. The recital hall auditorium has 305 seats and has seating onstage for approximately 75 musicians.
Reservations
If you are interested in hosting an event in Simon Estes Music Hall, please send a detailed request to musicevents@iastate.edu that includes the following information:
- Name of Organization
- Event Title
- Date(s)
- Time(s)
- Rooms that will be utilized during rental.
Once reviewed, our staff will provide availability information and the price range of the rental.
Stephens Auditorium
The 2,602-seat theater provides meeting planners with a striking environment for lectures, meetings and performances. The main floor seats 1,577 attendees.
Capacity
There are 2,602-permanent seats, seating for 1,432 on the main floor, 33 wheelchair spaces, and 112 portable orchestra seats.
Features
Excellent acoustics; spacious lobbies; loading dock; mobility-impaired access; truck and bus parking; proscenium stage with full curtain; five dressing rooms on stage level; two chorus dressing rooms; two orchestra rooms; carpenter shop.
Equipment
Full theatrical lighting; two xenon spotlights; grand pianos; 125 orchestra chairs; 3′ x 8′ and 4′ x 8′ risers; sound amplifiers and console; microphones; monitors; cable; 55 sets of counterweighted lines; dance floor; orchestra shell.