Mindy Kaling ’01 Supports Creation of New Theater Lab at the Hop
The Mindy Kaling Theater Lab is set to open during the Dartmouth Arts Weekend Celebration in October 2025.
When writer, actor, and producer Mindy Kaling ’01 was a Dartmouth undergraduate, she spent most of her time at the Hopkins Center: “I was a theater major, so I really knew every inch of the Hop, but my favorite place was the Bentley Theater. The energy in that black box theater and the creativity that flowed through my veins when I was at the Bentley I’ve never experienced anywhere else.”
Those experiences—which included producing her Eleanor Frost-award winning play on the Warner Bentley stage—had a profound effect on Kaling’s life and career, and when Dartmouth announced the campaign to revitalize the Hopkins Center for the Arts in 2018, she was one of the first people to offer support.
Kaling’s gift will create the Mindy Kaling Theater Lab, adjacent to the Warner Bentley Theater in the lower level of the new Daryl and Steven Roth Wing.
Mirroring the size of The Moore Theater stage, the Mindy Kaling Theater Lab will enable the expansion of theater classes and allow concurrent programming in The Moore Theater while other productions are in development.
Most important to Kaling, the space—equipped with a sprung floor, lighting grid and professional sound system—is conceived to support independent student productions from conception to performance, with an emphasis on the creative process.
“What is so exciting about the space is that it’s a place where you can fail. You can try things out, fail, and then revamp and rework things,” says Kaling. “I’ve never been someone who is effortless. I am so effortful in everything I do. And this is a place where effort can be on display. You don't have to hide it—because a thing can be bad on its journey to becoming good. God knows I've experienced that thousands and thousands of times over the course of my professional life.”
And when people come together to fail, revamp, and rework, that collaborative undertaking does more than create art, says Kaling. It nurtures relationships and builds community.
“What’s great about this theater lab is it’s inherently social. Talking through a project, getting on its feet, I think that’s really magical,” says Kaling.
The theater lab is the most recent gift from Kaling, who is also a member of the Centennial Circle of Dartmouth Alumnae, an alumnae-led annual giving society established in 2014 to support the Dartmouth College Fund. The goal of the Circle, now 363 members strong, is both to demonstrate the power of women’s philanthropy and inspire the next generation of women to step up as leadership donors.
It worked for Kaling, who credits the Centennial Circle and its emphasis on showcasing women as philanthropic leaders as an inspiration for her own giving to Dartmouth:
“I think there is something so special about Dartmouth women, and the fact that the program was started by women just talking to each other and saying, ‘Let’s do something collectively’ is really powerful.
“In terms of naming the space, I’d be lying if part of the allure of it wasn’t leaving this legacy behind.
“But also, to be the first Indian woman at Dartmouth with her name on a space—where to see women or any people of color with their names on anything is just not that common—that just feels significant,” says Kaling.
“I always remember seeing Warner Bentley and that bust of him when walking by it. It imprinted on me as, ‘Oh, that is what importance is.’ You see busts and statues of people, and you don’t understand that it’s making an impression on you until you realize that that’s what you associate with success.”
“So, if young, impressionable people can associate this theater lab with success, that makes me feel good. And then, too, I think that’s kind of just good for people to see that lots of different kinds of people can be successful.”
Finalizing the Arts District and Embracing a New Era of the Arts
The Mindy Kaling Theater Lab is one of several new and revitalized creative spaces in the Hopkins Center, scheduled to reopen to the public in October 2025. More than 15,000 feet of space has been constructed, including the new Roth Wing, which is now home to the Daryl Roth Studio Theater; the Jack 1953 and Mac 2011 Morris Recital Hall; and the Hodgson Family Dance Studio. In addition, Dartmouth has renovated many spaces, including the iconic Top of the Hop, Spaulding Auditorium, and the jewelry, woodworking, and ceramics studios, to better serve a new generation of students, creators, and performers.
“The Mindy Kaling Theater Lab is a transformative addition to our department and a game-changer for our theater students,” says Associate Professor of Theater Analola Santana. “It’s a space designed to reflect the scale and function of our largest stage while supporting every step of the creative process: from teaching to rehearsal to performance. This is the type of space that fosters collaboration among students, faculty, and staff, allowing for deeper learning, more efficient rehearsals, and richer artistic development.”
Rendering of the new Mindy Kaling Theater Lab.
When it opens, the revitalized Hop will serve as the primary gateway to Dartmouth’s Arts District, which includes the Hood Museum of Art, the Black Family Visual Arts Center, and Maffei Plaza.
To celebrate the renaissance of the Hop and the completion of the Arts District, Dartmouth is planning a weekend-long celebration of the arts from October 16–19 that will feature the grand opening of the building, dedication of the Daryl and Steven Roth Wing, open houses, performances and conversations with arts luminaries, and community events.
Learn more about the October celebration of the arts.