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Articles
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| Arena Stage to head across river in December |
VOICE writes, "Arena Stage to head across river in December
By Amy Arden
Arena Stage, a theater presence in Southwest DC for decades, will be temporarily relocating to Crystal City in late December. The theater complex at 1101 6th St. SW is closing for extensive renovation and expansion, with plans to reopen for the 2010-11 season.
The renovation is the culmination of the Next Stage Campaign, which raised $104 million for the project. The new facility will open with a new name, Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater."
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"We are so thrilled to be putting a shovel in the ground this January," said Arena’s artistic director Molly Smith in a news release. "Arena and its remarkable artists and audience deserve this new complex, where all of our aspirations to be a center for the American theater will soar. It is time to bring the Mead Center to life, and we are ready."
Arena Stage will begin productions at the Crystal Forum, 1999 Jefferson Davis Highway, on Dec. 28. Crystal City was selected for the temporary home because of its Metro accessibility, its proximity to the Arena Stage’s current location and the availability of parking and dining options in the area, according to Smith.
The Crystal Forum is a converted 460-seat movie theater beneath the Crystal City Marriott.
Productions will not take place at the Arena Stage while construction is ongoing, although some performances will be staged at the Lincoln Theatre in the 2008-09 season.
The Mead Center’s exterior features a sweeping roof that unifies the entire theater complex and glass wall that completely surrounds the theaters. The wall with its supporting columns is a focal point of the new design and also will serve to eliminate ambient noise, which executive director Stephen Richard said was an ongoing problem at the current facility.
“People will come to look at, as well as be in, this building. Its transparency will be compelling day or night,” said former Washington Post architecture critic Ben Forgey, according to a new release. “Striking structural elements, such as towering mastlike wood columns, fit the setting perfectly. The assortment of buildings will form an enticing little cityscape.”
A new performance space, The Cradle, an intimate 200-seat theater, will be dedicated to performing new and emerging plays. Both of Arena’s existing performance spaces, the Fichlander Stage and the Kreeger Theatre, will receive extensive renovations, including new technical equipment and acoustic upgrades.
The Mead Center’s design includes an enlarged lobby that links all three theater spaces, a single box office, an onsite cafe, additional restroom facilities and improved access for patrons with disabilities.
Plans also include a new Education Center with classroom and rehearsal spaces for students, as well as expanded capacity for professional rehearsals, set design, set construction and theater administration. Bing Thom Architects, a firm based in Vancouver, British Columbia, was selected from more than 150 candidates to design the Mead Center.
The design was approved in 2003 and again in 2007 by the Commission of Fine Arts, and in 2003 by the Board of Zoning Adjustments.
The Mead Center is named for Arena supporters Gilbert and Jaylee Mead, who donated $35 million to the Next Stage Campaign, the largest gift ever made to an American regional theater, according to Arena Stage directors. The late Gilbert Mead was an Arena Stage trustee.
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Posted on Nov 14, 2007 13:25pm.
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