Theatre Projects teams on Richmond CenterStage performing arts complex

September 24, 2009

Working with Wilson Butler Architects and acoustician Jaffe Holden, we've created a new home for the performing arts in downtown Richmond, Virginia — the Richmond CenterStage. Our work includes the restoration and renovation of the Carpenter Theatre for large-scale productions and the adaptive reuse of a local icon, the Thalhimer's department store, into Dorothy Pauley Square, a home for local artists.

"We're thrilled that this is going to be a dynamic new hub for all kinds of local community arts programs and a magnet for larger scale-touring productions," says Theatre Projects' project manager, Jules Lauve.

The centerpiece of this new complex is the newly renovated 1,800-seat Carpenter Theatre. The theatre has been restored and re-built to accommodate Broadway size and scale touring productions and to accommodate uses for symphony, dance, and opera.

Built in 1928 as a Loew's Theatre, the building operated as a movie theatre until 1979. It was restored and reopened in 1983 as the Carpenter Center for the Performing Arts. The Carpenter Center, now the Carpenter Theatre, has been renovated once again and features a completely new stagehouse, improved seating, and an enlarged lobby area.

Since the Carpenter Theatre was originally a vaudeville-style theatre intended to accommodate movies and small variety acts, the stage and stagehouse were limited and not well suited for today's performance standards. As part of this renovation, the back of the stage and the existing stagehouse were demolished. We designed a new stage and stagehouse that can accommodate four very different types of users - Richmond Symphony, Virginia Opera, Richmond Ballet, and touring Broadway.

We also collaborated with the design team to reseat and re-rake the entire auditorium to improve seating, sightlines, acoustics, and auditorium comfort while maintaining the treasured ambience of the 1920s architecture. We helped develop new seats to replicate the original seating while providing for modern comfort.

In addition, we helped create Dorothy Pauley Square, which serves as a home for local and regional artists. The Square includes performing arts spaces for music, theatre, dance, and arts education including an intimate 200-seat playhouse for local performances (Gottwald Playhouse), a multipurpose room (Rhythm Hall), an arts education center (Genworth BrightLights Education Center), a gallery, artist studios, and support spaces.

Richmond CenterStage will surely infuse new vitality and energy into this regional market.

Carpenter Theatre fast facts