Northern Stage, Barrette Center for the Arts

White River Junction, Vermont, USA

A new and permanent home for a beloved regional theatre group, this 17,000 square foot facility is carved out of a pre-engineered Butler Building. The unchangeable structure required creative planning and design to maximize space, optimize circulation, and still provide a dynamic theatrical environment with audience-performer intimacy, excellent sightlines, and comfortable surroundings. The 240-seat theatre features a panelized tension wire grid, modern AV systems, and a robust lighting system that we designed with the infrastructure for full-LED upgrades. The thrust stage pushes the performance out into the audience and there is no seat farther than 32 feet from the stage, creating an undiluted and dynamic experience. Built abutting Northern Stage’s existing administrative offices, the project went from design and construction to opening night in less than two years’ time—a remarkable pace.