El Museo del Barrio, El Teatro

This unique multipurpose theatre was originally designed to be a children’s theatre. That legacy can still be seen today through its series of hand-painted wall murals depicting popular scenes from children’s literature. Through the years, it’s also hosted Broadway and off-Broadway productions, a Shakespeare festival, and parts of the 39th Annual GRAMMY awards. Today, it’s part of the New York City’s Historic Music Trail and forms part of El Museo del Barrio— the country’s oldest museum devoted to Latino art—offering a welcoming environment to complement their exhibitions, bilingual education activities, and public programs. The auditorium plays an important role in the life of the museum and its community, hosting a variety of programming from lectures and screenings to community gatherings and theatrical performances. We upgraded its support spaces and equipment systems to enhance the user experience and bring its performance technology up to date, including adding a new orchestra pit lift for performances with live music and improving the audiovisual systems to make sure the room could cope with the modern-day technological requirements for lectures and screenings. The refurbishment also saw the theatre's fairytale-themed wall murals and decorative plasterwork lovingly restored to their original glory. The renewed theatre is ready to serve and inspire its community again!
El Museo del Barrio, El Teatro Case Study