Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival
Samuel H. Scripps Theater Center
Project Overview
- Targeting LEED Platinum—the first such certification for a purpose-built US theater
- The 480-seat theater includes varies green strategies such as low-carbon mass timber, photovoltaic panels, natural ventilation and rainwater harvesting
- Extensive wetland mitigation to support biodiversity and decrease resource use
The new design for the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival (HVSF), one of New York’s most beloved open-air theater companies, establishes a permanent home and more versatility for its actors, audience, and back-of-house. Since its first season in 1987, HVSF’s productions have been staged in a seasonal tent at Boscobel House and Gardens overlooking the Hudson River. The new design on a nearby site remains open to the elements but elevates the overall theatrical experience for both actors and visitors through improved rehearsal, performance, and amenity spaces; expanded accessibility for more diverse audiences; and technical additions that open up new opportunities for HVSF productions.
The stage’s proscenium arch is carefully orientated to frame the ridgelines of the Hudson Valley—including Storm King, Snake Hill, and Breakneck Ridge—and the river below, while shading the audience and actors from the sun during dusk performances while comfortably seating 480 in the audience. The scope of work includes ground-up construction of a new open-air mass timber theater, production space, back of house actors green room and public washroom. The theater is being developed on an existing golf course and will include a new parking lot, hardscaping, picnic lawns and all new landscaping.
