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Thalian Hall Transformation Project Lauds Largest Corporate Donation Yet

By Staff Reports, posted Jun 10, 2026
Thalian Hall Center for the Performing Arts is raising money for its renovation project, for which construction began in April. (Rendering courtesy of Thalian Hall)
Thalian Hall Center for the Performing Arts on Wednesday announced a $100,000 naming gift from REV Federal Credit Union to its ongoing capital campaign for the center's transformation project.

The $25 million renovation project would nearly double Thalian Hall’s footprint, as it expands into a 17,000-square-foot wing that had been occupied by the city of Wilmington since the building’s completion in 1858.

REV Federal Credit Union's $100,000, part of the $8.75 million the capital campaign has raised to date, will secure the naming rights for the ceiling mural in the Wilde Cat Club, according to a news release. The Wilde Cat Club will be a new coffee shop, martini bar and music venue on the former City Hall side of Thalian Hall, and the mural will be painted by Wilmington artist Mark Weber, the release stated.

“A corporate gift of this magnitude is a powerful statement about the vitality of the arts in our region,” said Shane Fernando, Thalian Hall CEO. “We are so grateful to our partners at REV Federal Credit Union for this substantial investment in our beloved Thalian Hall’s future. The ceiling mural will live forever as a monument to the hundreds of past-technicians who have worked at the Hall, and the countless future-technicians that will bring her into a new age.

REV Federal Credit Union's donation is the largest corporate gift given to Thalian Hall’s capital campaign so far, according to the release.

Construction began on the ground floor of Thalian Hall in April 2026, and current projections estimate the transformation project will be completed by the second quarter of 2028.

In addition to the Wilde Cat Club, the project is set to include a new 300-seat theater and an incubator for theater productions, music and dance, as well as upgrades to Thalian’s historic main stage and other existing spaces.
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