Guild Hall has shared the design plans for its John Drew Theater, as part of the multi-arts center’s comprehensive improvements that commenced earlier this year.
Overseen by the award-winning Peter Pennoyer Architects, a leader in the renovation and preservation of historic architecture, in consultation with globally-recognized theater design experts Auerbach Pollock Friedlander, the plan creates new capabilities for the 1930s-era performance space. The John Drew Theater hosts up to 150 presentations annually, including theatrical productions, dance, concerts, screenings, comedy, talks, and emerging forms. Modernizing the systems and technologies that support this volume and variety of programs will support Guild Hall’s ongoing service to the community. Completion and reopening of the theater is expected in winter 2023/24. The renewed theater comprises an essential part of Guild Hall’s facility-wide capital improvements project and campaign, which was first announced in 2021 and ushers in a period of 21st-century revitalization for the legendary multi-arts center.
Andrea Grover, Guild Hall Executive Director, said, “Guild Hall is a special institution founded on the principle that the arts bring communities together. After 91 years of continuous delivery on our mission, we are making our theater, museum, and education space responsive to the innovative presentation needs of today’s artists with the latest tools and technologies. Our upgraded facility will offer a truly exceptional audience experience.”
Peter Pennoyer Architects, whose recent work includes the design of the clock of the new Moynihan Train Station in New York City, is overseeing Guild Hall’s capital improvements plan, including the renewed design of the John Drew Theater. Striking a balance between innovation and preservation, the new design will bring the theater’s functionality up to contemporary performance needs while maintaining key elements of its historic design; this includes, for instance, the restoration of the stage’s scalloped proscenium frame, part of the theater’s original design by Aymar Embury II and only recently uncovered during structural exploration. The theater’s much-beloved circus-tent ceiling motif and iconic balloon chandelier will remain; non-original elements including moldings and wallcovering will be updated to more closely reflect the theater’s elegant 1930s design.
The flow of the theater will also be restored by the removal of non-original doors at the entrance to the theater corridor. In a nod to Embury’s original architecture, columns will be reintroduced in the lobby, recreating the graceful procession from the entrance arcade of the building, through the house of the theater. Space previously taken up by boxes and the technical control booth at the rear of the theater will be repurposed to allow for easy and fully accessible circulation. The plan will implement a new seating arrangement that captures prime orchestra seats, adds greater row-to-row depth, offers broader and more comfortable seating, and enhances sightlines through an increased floor rake.
The plan includes new technical systems throughout the theater and support spaces, including a relocated control booth in the balcony. The project’s theater consultant Auerbach Pollock Friedlander has an extensive portfolio that includes Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Gilman Opera House and Harvey Theatre and Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall. APF’s plan will advance all audio-visual technologies, lighting, and acoustics for the demands of Guild Hall’s all-embracing performance types.
PPA Principal Partner and fellow of the American Institute of Architects Peter Pennoyer said, “This renovation recaptures and burnishes the best of Guild Hall’s original theater. The delight and charm of the circus tent will continue to shine, as improved accessibility, seating, and sightlines for the audience are integrated into the space.”
The renewed John Drew Theater is among several core components of Guild Hall’s capital improvements project and campaign to reimagine its 158 Main Street facility for 21st-century audiences. Led by PPA in collaboration with Hollander Design | Landscape Architects, renovation of Guild Hall’s museum, education center, administrative offices (redesigned by Arrowstreet, a specialist in work environments), landscape and gardens is currently underway. These spaces are expected to reopen in summer 2023 with a dynamic program of onsite exhibitions and educational programming, in addition to special off-site programs, following the success of this year’s first Guild Hall: Offsite initiative, which brings the arts to a range of accessible venues on the East End.
Launched with an early goal on the occasion of Guild Hall’s 90th anniversary in 2021, and since met with enthusiastic support, the arts center’s now $29 million campaign also includes dedicated capabilities for advancing the institution’s trailblazing arts program and its vital reserve fund. As of December 2022, Guild Hall has reached 55 percent of its goal, thanks to the generosity and support of the arts center’s Board of Trustees and supporters.
Guild Hall Board Chair Marty Cohen said, “This plan is integral to accomplishing our goals for the renewal and revitalization of Guild Hall: to honor the past, invest in the present, and advance our vision for the future.”
Details of Guild Hall’s summer 2023 season will be released in the coming months. Inaugural programming for the John Drew Theater, set to reopen in winter 2023/24, will be announced closer to the date. Visit guildhall.org for more info.