The Muny Will Upgrade Seats, Improve Drainage in $9.5 Million Auditorium Overhaul

ST. LOUIS — The Muny will embark on an extensive overhaul of its nearly 11,000-seat auditorium at the end of the 2026 season, upgrading aging seats, replacing deteriorating concrete and improving stormwater drainage.

The project will cost an estimated $9.5 million, funded by generous gifts from the Crawford Taylor Foundation, the E.C. Simmons III Foundation, the Robert J. Trulaske Jr. Family Foundation, Interco Charitable Trust and an anonymous donor.

The existing 25-year-old theatre seats are scheduled for removal in September 2026, after Season 108. Construction will be completed before the start of the 109th Muny season in June 2027.

“This is a transformational project for our theatre and our audience,” said Muny President & CEO Kwofe Coleman. “It’s a Muny-size undertaking, and we’re incredibly grateful to the donors whose support makes it possible to care for our historic home and prepare it for the future.”

The approximately 10,700 flip-down seats in the auditorium have reached the end of their expected lifespan — many are faded and cracked. The seat standards and brackets show increasing rust, and maintenance teams have spent years replacing hinges. The original seat manufacturer is no longer in business, and replacement parts are not available.

The project will address long-term maintenance demands while enhancing the audience experience. Opportunities are being explored to create premium configurations in underutilized seating areas. The project also will improve sightlines along cross aisles. All theatre railings will be replaced, and cupholders will be added for seats in the front row.

Before new seats are installed, work will be done to reinforce aging infrastructure in the auditorium.

Concrete throughout the theatre has deteriorated, allowing water to penetrate the surface and increasing the risk of future damage. Structural concerns have been identified in the upper terraces and at the sound mix area behind Terrace A. As part of the project, the sound mix area will be reconfigured to improve functionality, create a better working environment and accommodate future technological needs.

Devastating flash flooding in 2022 underscored the vulnerability of the Enterprise Holdings Orchestra Pit, which houses millions of dollars’ worth of automation equipment, sound gear and musical instruments. Working with consultants, civil engineers and city agencies, a comprehensive strategy has been developed to safeguard this critical area against future storms. Key to this effort will be the installation of a new stormwater collection and diversion system that channels runoff from the seating area, bypassing the orchestra pit entirely.

The first phase of drainage improvements was completed in 2025 with the installation of a permeable paver and drainage system on the new Kooyumjian Family Plaza at the rear of the theatre. This system has already significantly reduced the flow of underground water beneath the seating area.

To address drainage and sightline issues, a small net reduction in the number of seats will be necessary. But with more than 10,000 seats, The Muny will remain America’s oldest and largest outdoor musical theatre.

“The ambitious $100 million Second Century Capital Campaign transformed our production and administrative areas, bringing The Muny into the 21st century,” Coleman said. “This next round of vital improvements will keep Muny patrons in the best seats in the house while also protecting our theatre’s infrastructure and planting us on solid ground for future generations.”

A limited number of The Muny’s old theatre seats will be available for purchase starting Dec. 8. Seats will be available for pickup in September 2026. A presentation certificate will be provided for each purchase. Reserve a pair for $500 at muny.org/support/seats.

Season 108 at The Muny runs June 15 through Aug. 23 and features Hairspray, Shrek The Musical, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific, Disney’s Newsies, the Muny premiere of Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations, Meet Me in St. Louis and the Muny premiere of Something Rotten!

New season tickets start at $126 and are on sale now at muny.org, by phone at (314) 595-5750 or at the Muny Box Office in Forest Park (9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday). Gift cards in any amount, redeemable anywhere on the Muny campus, are available at muny.org and at the Muny Box Office. 

Single-performance Muny tickets go on sale May 18. 

Photos, logos and other promotional assets are available in the Muny Press Room at muny.org/press. 

Now in its 108th season in St. Louis, The Muny — the recipient of the 2025 Regional Theatre Tony Award — is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to producing exceptional musical theatre that is accessible to all, continuing its remarkable tradition in Forest Park. As the nation’s oldest and largest outdoor musical theatre, The Muny welcomes more than 300,000 patrons each summer for seven world-class productions under the stars. Learn more at muny.org, and follow along at facebook.com/munytheatre, instagram.com/themuny and youtube.com/themunytv.