New performing arts venue to open this fall

A rendering of Capital One Hall [Capital One]

By David Siegel 

In a unique public-private partnership, a new world-class performing arts destination is nearing completion in McLean: Capital One Hall is scheduled to open in October on the newly constructed Capital One Bank campus.

The Fairfax County and Capital One Bank public-use partnership, valued at more than $11 million, aims to bring new arts and cultural experience to the area.

Capital One Hall will include a state-of-the-art 1,500-seat mainstage auditorium; a 250-seat black-box theater called the Vault; classrooms; and an outdoor amphitheater on the roof called the Perch.

The new Capital One Bank campus includes the tallest building in Northern Virginia, the 470-foot Capital One Tower. The Capital One Hall is located about a quarter-mile from McLean Metro stop on the Silver Line, with parking close by.

The new performance spaces will be available for community use at specially negotiated rates for Fairfax County-based nonprofit arts groups and for arts-related programming by county government agencies and Fairfax County Public Schools.

As part of the public-private partnership, ArtsFairfax, Fairfax County’s designated local arts agency, is now accepting online applications for community use of the spaces for the period Sept. 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023. The deadline is midnight, May 1. 

A rendering of the Capital One Hall interior. [Capital One]

Applications will be screened for eligibility. Those approved by the county will be submitted to Capital One Hall’s operator for integration into the season’s schedule.

Learn more about the application process here. Technical specifications, a sample contract including costs, the seasonal calendar, and related information can be found here. The ArtsFairfax contact is Lisa Mariam, director of grants and services, [email protected].

As of information currently available, the 250-seat black-box theater will be available for public use 57 days per year; the main hall, for 25 days. While construction of the venue is not complete, a behind-the-scenes video shows what to expect. 

David Siegel is a freelance theater reviewer and features writer based in Mason District. This piece is from an article published in DC Metro Theater Arts.