Brooklyn Academy of Music plans expansion

Despite the recession, the Brooklyn Academy of Music is launching a $300 million capital plan tomorrow that will build new theaters, grow its endowment and pay for several artistic initiatives. The largest project in the plan is building a 263-seat theater at 321 Ashland Place between Lafayette Avenue and Hanson Place, which is slated to open in three years. BAM also plans to build a second cinema complex with three screens in a mixed-use development in the BAM Cultural District in Fort Greene. More than half of the funds for the campaign, called BAM Next Stage, have already been raised, according to Adam Max, chairman of the campaign.