Shakespeare and Company - Lenox, MA
Founder's Theatre

Payette, in collaboration with Iain Mackintosh of Theatre Projects Consultants, completed a 12,000-square-foot addition and renovation of an existing 1950s Quonset hut gymnasium into a 450-seat theatre for Shakespeare & Company. The building, originally used as a gymnasium for the Lenox School for Boys, had undergone a series of interior renovations, which included a raised stage, dressing rooms, and a flat floor seating area. An arcaded “skirt” was added at the front of the building to give it a new identity as it softens and unifies the exterior while also providing a sheltered space for the audience during intermission. The addition provides a circular interior lobby; while the upper level balcony, sides, and back rows of the theatre contain bench seating.