"Having watched this space transform over the last year, I am truly thrilled by the design, the thoughtful details, and even the color choices that make this theatre so welcoming."
David A. Chan said that in September, when Arts Huntsville and the City of Huntsville announced that the former Grissom High School auditorium would carry his family's name. The theater has been open for about a week. Its calendar for the next three months already includes two musicals from IMP Huntsville, a choral concert, a youth orchestra and two separate productions of The Nutcracker. All of them are coming to 7901 Bailey Cove Road.
If you live in South Huntsville, the city's fullest local stage calendar this fall and winter is now in your part of town. Here's how that came about and how to plan around it.
A School Auditorium Rebuilt as a Real Theater
The city opened the Sandra Moon Community Complex on September 15. That finished a four-phase conversion of the Grissom campus. The City of Huntsville spent $32.4 million on the renovation. Arts Huntsville then started a private fundraising campaign to pay for more equipment and furnishings for the performance space.
The auditorium is now the David A. Chan Theatre, a 611-seat proscenium house. The city designed it, and Arts Huntsville runs it day to day. Here's what changed from the high school version:
- New theater seating
- Upgraded manual and motorized rigging
- Full audio and lighting systems with custom acoustic tiling
- An orchestra shell and full video projection
- New dressing rooms and backstage areas
The city's announcement called the venue a major milestone in meeting the venue needs of Huntsville's "rapidly growing local arts scene." That explains the calendar. Local companies needed a fully equipped mid-size stage, and a school auditorium that was rebuilt to professional specs gave them one. Arts Huntsville also has office and rehearsal space in the complex.
The theater opened on Saturday, September 26, with a revival of the Showcase of the Arts, a Huntsville tradition that goes back to the 1970s. Local groups performed every half hour. The lineup started with the Challenger Middle School Jazz Band and included Around the Curtain Children's Theatre, the Huntsville Community Chorus Association, the Brass Band of Huntsville, Dance Elan and Rocket City Ballet. Several of those groups now have their own dates on this stage before the year ends.
What's on the Stage Before Christmas
These are the events at the complex with published dates as of early October. Ticket prices are listed only where the performing group posted them.
| Dates | Show | Presented by | Tickets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct. 16–18 and 22–25 | Dear Evan Hansen | IMP Huntsville | Through IMP; prices not listed |
| Thu., Oct. 29, 4:30–7:30 p.m. | Howling on The Moon | Huntsville Parks & Recreation | Free |
| Oct. 29, 7 p.m. | Music of Stage & Screen | Huntsville Community Chorus Association | $25 adults, $20 seniors and military, free for PreK–12 |
| Nov. 19–22 | Come From Away | IMP Huntsville | Through IMP; prices not listed |
| Dec. 5–6 | The Rocket City Nutcracker | Dance Elan | Through Arts Huntsville calendar link; prices not listed |
| Mon., Dec. 7, 6:30–8:30 p.m. | Holiday Concert | Huntsville Youth Orchestra | Not listed |
| Dec. 18–20 | The Nutcracker: A Yuletide Ballet | Rocket City Ballet | Through the company; prices not listed |
The city's September announcement also listed several shows that don't have dates yet: Around the Curtain Children's Theatre's Fall Revue, a Huntsville Concert Band concert, the Westminster Christian Academy Fall Show, an HCCA Holiday Concert and The Beasley Brothers Christmas Show. Check the Sandra Moon Performing Arts Center events calendar before you plan around any of them.
One show has already happened. The Brass Band of Huntsville played its free 25th-anniversary concert at the complex on October 1.
The Last Thursday of October Is Double-Booked
Thursday, October 29 is the busiest night on the campus this fall. Howling on The Moon runs from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. It's the complex's stop on the Parks & Recreation Halloween circuit. Like every city Halloween event in October, it's free, and costumes are encouraged.
On the chorus's own event page, the Huntsville Community Chorus Association lists Music of Stage & Screen for that same evening at 7 p.m. If that's correct, the concert starts while the Halloween event is still going, and both will be using the same parking lots. The Arts Huntsville venue calendar lists the concert on Friday, October 30 instead. The chorus page is the more detailed of the two listings. Confirm the date before you buy tickets.
That Thursday shows how the complex differs from a standalone theater. Parks & Recreation runs programming for families, and Arts Huntsville books ticketed performances, all on one campus. On some nights, both happen at once.
December Gets Two Nutcrackers
Two different companies are staging The Nutcracker on the same stage two weeks apart. Dance Elan's The Rocket City Nutcracker is on December 5 and 6. Rocket City Ballet's The Nutcracker: A Yuletide Ballet runs December 18 through 20, and the company lists the Sandra Moon Performing Arts Center as its venue.
Between the two, the Huntsville Youth Orchestra holds its Holiday Concert on Monday, December 7, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. That makes the first full week of December the theater's busiest stretch so far: three nights with performances between a Saturday and the following Monday. Add the HCCA Holiday Concert and The Beasley Brothers Christmas Show once they're dated, and the holiday season has more on it than the fall does.
Neither Nutcracker listing we found includes ticket prices, and Dance Elan's doesn't give performance times. Both link to ticket sales, so check there when you're ready to pick a date.
What the Building Does Between Shows
The theater gets most of the attention, but the rest of the old Grissom campus is open every day. The complex combines earlier-phase facilities with the final build-out. The earlier phases brought the South Huntsville Public Library, a children's playground, outdoor multi-use fields, and lighted pickleball and tennis courts. The final phase added:
- Two restored Grissom gyms set up for basketball, volleyball and pickleball
- An expanded fitness area and an indoor walking track
- Adaptive recreation spaces for residents with special needs
- A multimedia center with gaming and recording stations for teens and adults
- An event hall that can be rented
Parks & Recreation Director James Gossett said the adaptive recreation space is "unlike anything else in a City facility" and that it will let the city expand programming for those residents.
Facility hours are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Those are building hours. The city hasn't posted separate schedules for open gym, indoor pickleball or the walking track. It also hasn't published activity fees, membership rules, or how to get access to the multimedia center. The complex page points to the Parks & Recreation seasonal guide and registration portal, which are the places to check.
The event hall does have published rates:
| Rental detail | What the city lists |
|---|---|
| Size | 4,600 square feet |
| Monday–Thursday | $250 for four hours |
| Friday–Sunday | $350 for four hours |
| Discount | 15% off if you don't use the catering kitchen |
| Capacity | Up to 225 seated, up to 310 for standing receptions |
| Included | Kitchen, stage, lectern, AV booth, projector and screen |
For a holiday party or a club banquet, this hall now gives South Huntsville a city-run room with a stage and AV equipment, a short drive down Bailey Cove Road.
The Name on the Building
Sandra Moon served on the Huntsville City Council from 1998 to 2010. She was the first woman to serve as council president. After leaving office, she chaired the committee that considered how the Grissom campus could eventually be reused for the community. She died in 2013, and in 2017 the council voted to name the future complex for her.
City Council President Jennie Robinson, who has described Moon as a mentor, said at the ribbon-cutting that the facility "was created out of this wonderful community conversation to meet community needs." The process that began with Moon's committee has now produced a library, ball courts, an indoor track and a 611-seat theater with six dated performances on its calendar between October 16 and December 20.
Thinking about a home near Bailey Cove Road? At Stallworth Real Estate, we follow how new public spaces like the Sandra Moon Community Complex change daily life in South Huntsville, and we'll walk you through what's within reach of any street you're considering. Let's Connect. Start with a Free Home Valuation, or just ask us which streets are closest to the theater.
