About the djd theater
DOROTHY JEMISON DAY THEATER
DJD THEATER INFORMATION
The mission of the DJD Theater is to be a cultural hub for arts, entertainment, and education for the greater Birmingham community and the students of Alabama School of Fine Arts.
- THEATER SEATING:
- Seating capacity: 450
- Wheelchair and transfer seating available
- Theater, lobby and restroom are all wheelchair accessible
STAGE SPECIFICATIONS:
- Stage Size:
- Back wall to plaster line: 40’-0”
- Decked stage right to left (less fly gallery): 75’-0”
- Proscenium Opening: 44’-0” (W) x 27’-0”(H)
- Stage apron, downstage of main curtain: 50’-0”(W) x 10’-0”(D) (when orchestra pit is not in use)
- Single purchase, counterweight fly system
- Height from deck to grid: 59’-0”
- Orchestra Pit Capacity: 50 musicians
- Sprung stage floor
- Orchestra Pit Lift
- Acoustically tunable listening environment
STAGE SPECIFICATIONS CONT.
- Sound Mix position located in back of house
- House surround sound speakers and stage monitors
- Repertory Light plot with two color front, back and sidelight washes with specials available
THEATER AMENITIES:
- Lobby space, with box office and restrooms
- Scene Shop
- Loading: bay door entrance with designated Loading Zone on 19th Street, parallel to building
- Dressing Rooms: two, both with restroom and shower facilities
- Room A: Mirrors/seating for 13
- Room B: Mirrors/seating for 17+
- Green Room/Kitchen/Laundry Space: sink, refrigerator, microwave, washer/dryer and room for limited tables/chairs
- WiFi Access available
SOFT GOODS:
- Cyclorama
- Black Out Curtain
- Black Scrim
- Black Mid-Stage Traveler
- Borders and Legs
- Two side tabs
- Main Curtain: Can fly or travel
RENTABLE EQUIPMENT:
- Complete set of dance floor (grey)
- Steinway concert grand piano
- Wenger orchestra shell
- Movie Screen (rear projection)
- Barco Video Projector
- Followspots – 2
- Lecterns
- Tables and Chairs
THE DJD THEATER
The mission of the DJD Theater is to be a cultural hub for arts, entertainment, and education for the greater Birmingham community and the students of Alabama School of Fine Arts.
With 500 seats, Alabama School of Fine Arts (ASFA)’s 19,000 square-foot Dorothy Jemison Day (DJD) Theater offers the arts community a much-needed alternative to both smaller and larger facilities. It also benefits all areas of the school, providing a professional environment in which students will learn the inner-workings, challenges, and opportunities of performing on a professional stage. The theater is located at 800 19th Street North in the heart of Birmingham’s downtown arts district. Craig Krawczyk of Birmingham’s LIVE Design Group was the architect for the $8.5 million project. Theater acoustics were designed by David Kahn of Acoustic Dimensions (New Rochelle, New York), and technical theater design was by Michael Ferguson of Theatre Project Consultants (Norwalk, Connecticut). Included in the building is a 40 x 75 foot sprung stage floor with a mechanical orchestra lift, a 60-foot fly loft for changing the scenery, and a Wenger orchestra shell. The acoustically tune-able listening environment also has a Steinway concert grand piano and a complete set of Marley dance flooring. There are two large audience restrooms, a green room, dressing rooms with full bath facilities for performers, laundry/kitchen facilities, and a scene shop for the set construction. The building is equipped with WiFi, Ethernet voice/data connections, and a large high definition movie screen. Constructed by B.L. Harbert International, the theater will help stimulate the economic development and revitalization of the downtown art district, which has a shortage of mid-sized performance venues available to local performing artists.
THE asfa FOUNDATION
The Dorothy Jemison Day Theater was built through the generosity of many individuals, corporations, and foundations. It is named for the late and much beloved ASFA Foundation Board member Dorothy “Dodie” Jemison Day. The ASFA Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit organization and raised over $7.8 million for the facility. The DJD construction took 18 months to complete and is touted as the most technologically advanced venue of its kind in the Southeast. Major foundation donors include Alabama Power Foundation, Regions Financial Corporation Foundation, EBSCO, The Daniel Foundation of Alabama, Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, Hill Crest Foundation, Jemison Investment Co. Inc., Hugh Kaul Foundation, Robert Meyer Foundation, Compass Bank, Vulcan Materials Foundation, AT&T Foundation, Joseph S. Bruno Foundation, Ronne and Donald Hess Foundation and the Aletec/Styslinger Foundation.
The Alabama School of Fine Arts is a tuition-free, public school for grades 7-12 that offers specialty study in the arts and sciences. Students can focus on creative writing, dance, math-science, music, theatre arts, or visual arts. ASFA’s mission is to nurture impassioned students to discover and fulfill their individual creative ability.

SERVING THE COMMUNITY
Our team is here to bring your production or event to life from start to finish. We aim to support the arts in our community every step of the way.
John Manzelli
DJD Theater Director
