The Hallie Ford Fine Arts Center at East Central University serves as a new cultural center for theatre, music, and performing arts for an eighteen-county region of Oklahoma. The new 82,000-square-foot Fine Arts Center was built to host the University’s art, music, theatre, speech and mass communication programs. The project was made possible with the help of 39 donors and was awarded an Outstanding Design in American School & University’s 2010 Interiors showcase.

Schuler Shook provided theatre planning, lighting and rigging systems design for the new Ataloa Theatre which is a proscenium theatre that seats up to 1,089 patrons on a main floor and a balcony. The orchestra pit was designed to accommodate all of the various performances planned for the space. It is automated to be lowered for musicals and dance productions. The pit can be lifted to stage level providing an expanded stage when needed, such as for music and speaking engagements.