Balch Arena Theater

The Balch Arena Theater on the Tufts University campus has a circular, drum-like shape that marks it as a piece of mid-century experimental architecture. Built in nineteen fifty-five, it houses an arena stage where the audience sits on all four sides of the performance. When it opened, the theater broke from the standard proscenium layout of the era. The architect, Arland Dirlam, designed it specifically to force actors to perform without the comfort of a backdrop, keeping the action exposed.