October 01, 2025
Provided Image/Steven Holl Architects
A rendering of the Edward W. Kane Theatre at UPenn's Student Performing Arts Center by Steven Holl Architects.
A new performing arts center at the University of Pennsylvania received a $5 million donation from Edward W. Kane and his wife, Martha Wallace, for a 325-seat theater space.
The Edward W. Kane Theatre, named after the donor and Class of 1971 alum, is under construction and is set to be completed by early 2027.
Penn Live Arts, which oversees dozens of student groups, said the proscenium theater will have an orchestra pit and be designed for different forms of the performing arts.
The project is part of the $75 million Student Performing Arts Center, which is located along Woodland Walk and will also feature a 125-seat studio theater, teaching spaces and rehearsal studios. The new facilities are designed to accommodate the estimated 1-in-4 students at Penn who participate in performance groups on campus.
"[Martha] and I have experienced the value both of Penn and of the performing arts firsthand," Kane said in a statement. "There's no better way to elevate both than by supporting this exciting new space and the thousands of students who bring it to life."
In 2012, Kane donated $2.5 million to the university to refurbish a plot of asphalt into a half-acre green space located at 33rd and Spruce streets, named the Edward W. Kane Park. He also has an established professorship in his name associated with the school's English department.
"Enabling students to rehearse and perform in spaces built specifically for their craft, whether dance or musical theatre — it's hard to understate that impact," Christopher A. Gruits, executive and artistic director of Penn Live Arts, said in a statement.
