Familiar Donor Supports Planned Ball State Outdoor Amphitheater

A new proposed outdoor amphitheater at Ball State University will have a familiar donor backing the construction.

Indianapolis native Charles W. Brown – whose name graces Ball State’s planetarium – will sponsor the new amphitheater. He is donating most of the cost for the $3.15 million project.

The Brown Family Amphitheater will sit on the site of the former Emens parking structure, near the newly-planned Multicultural Center. In addition to an outdoor performance stage, it will have dressing rooms, green room, control room, and public restrooms.

Ball State president Geoffrey Mearns says Brown’s vision was the same for his support for the planetarium – a collaborative one that includes Muncie community organizations.

“He was consistent in asking us, ‘Yes, I want to make sure the campus community will use it regularly and often, but how will you use it in partnership with the [Muncie] community?’”

Brown is a 1971 graduate and spent his career opening and managing more than 70 Taco Bell and KFC franchises.

The university says if all approvals for the amphitheater come in on time, construction could begin in May 2021 and should be finished by the end of that year.