Madison Theatre at Molloy University

Madison Theatre at Molloy University is a performing arts venue located on the campus of Molloy University in Rockville Centre. The approximately 550-seat theater presents musicals, concerts, dance performances, comedy, cabaret, family programming and other live events while also serving as an important performance and educational space for the university’s students.

Located inside the Public Square complex at Molloy’s main campus, Madison Theatre combines the resources of a university performing arts program with a schedule designed for audiences from across Long Island. The venue regularly brings professional performers and creative artists to the campus while providing opportunities for emerging performers, musicians and theater students to work in a professional-style environment.

About Madison Theatre at Molloy University

Madison Theatre opened in late 2011 as part of a major expansion of Molloy’s Rockville Centre campus that included the Public Square student center. The theater officially opened with Molloy’s gala on November 12, 2011, an event featuring a professional creative team and performers and marking the beginning of the venue’s first season.

Since opening, Madison Theatre has developed into both a university performing arts facility and a community entertainment venue. Its mission emphasizes presenting a broad range of entertainment for Long Island while supporting artistic development and helping educate young performers, writers and technicians preparing for careers in the entertainment industry.

Performances and Programming

The theater’s calendar varies throughout the year and can include Broadway-style musicals, concerts, jazz and contemporary music, dance, comedy, holiday productions, tribute performances and family-oriented shows. University productions and performances involving Molloy’s musical theater students are also staged at the venue.

Madison Theatre is closely connected with Molloy University’s performing arts programs, including Molloy/CAP21. Students perform in fully produced mainstage productions and have opportunities to work alongside faculty members and professional creative artists. The university also operates the smaller Lucille B. Hays Theatre, a flexible black-box performance space, while Madison Theatre serves as its larger proscenium venue.

The mix of university and professional programming gives Madison Theatre a somewhat different role from a traditional commercial theater. It functions as a public entertainment venue, educational facility and gathering place for both the university and the surrounding Long Island community.

The Theater

Madison Theatre is a modern proscenium theater with approximately 550 seats. Capacity can vary somewhat depending on the configuration required for an individual production or event. The facility includes professional lighting and sound capabilities, projection equipment, dressing rooms and other backstage resources needed to accommodate theatrical productions, concerts and special events.

Its relatively intimate size allows the theater to accommodate substantial productions without the scale of a large arena or concert hall. The venue is also available for outside productions and event rentals when scheduling permits.

Location and Parking

Madison Theatre is located at 1000 Hempstead Avenue in Rockville Centre, inside the Public Square building on the Molloy University campus. The campus is accessible from the Southern State Parkway using nearby exits 19 and 20.

For theater patrons arriving by car, the venue recommends parking in the West parking lot at the rear of campus behind the Madison Theatre and Public Square building. Visitors using public transportation can take the Long Island Rail Road’s Babylon Branch to Rockville Centre, with local transportation available between the railroad station and campus.

Accessibility

Madison Theatre provides accessible seating and accessible parking near the Public Square building and theater lobby. The facility has automatic entrance doors and elevators, and assisted-listening systems are available. The theater also provides accommodations for certain sensory-sensitive performances and advises patrons when productions use effects such as fog, smoke or strobe lighting.

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Madison Theatre at Molloy University

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Key Facts & Details

Venue	Madison Theatre at Molloy University
Location	Rockville Centre, Nassau County, New York
Address	1000 Hempstead Avenue, Rockville Centre, NY 11570
Campus Location	Public Square building, Molloy University
Opened	2011
Seating Capacity	Approximately 550 seats; configuration may vary by event
Venue Type	Proscenium performing arts theater
Programming	Musicals, concerts, dance, comedy, cabaret, family shows, university productions and special events
University Affiliation	Molloy University
Parking	Campus parking available; West parking lot behind the Public Square building is recommended for theater patrons
Public Transportation	Long Island Rail Road Babylon Branch to Rockville Centre; local transportation required between the station and campus
Accessibility	Accessible seating and parking, automatic doors, elevators and assisted-listening systems available
Box Office	516-323-4444
Website	madisontheatreny.org

Madison Theatre at Molloy University provides Rockville Centre and the surrounding communities with a year-round venue for live entertainment while extending the university’s performing arts programs beyond the classroom. Its combination of professional productions, touring and guest performers, student performances and community programming has made the theater an important part of the performing arts landscape on Long Island’s South Shore.