WASHINGTON (AP) — The Kennedy Center is reopening its Theater Lab after a five-month, $7.5 million renovation to create a new performance space.

The Theater Lab reopens Monday evening with a music and poetry performance. The show features jazz vocalist Gregory Porter and female poets including Holly Bass, Mahogany Browne, Vanessa Hidary and Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai.

This is the fifth of the center’s seven theaters to be renovated since 1997. It has been transformed into the center’s only thrust stage to give audiences a more intimate experience. The new configuration includes 397 seats. Bench seating was replaced with permanent seats upholstered in red and orange.

The long-running production “Shear Madness” will continue its 25-year run in the Theater Lab. The theater will also feature free performances from the Millennium Stage series.

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