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Arena Stage - UNDER
CONSTRUCTION
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theater's main page |
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Arena Stage has unveiled
plans for a major alteration to its campus at Sixth Street and Maine Avenue
SW. The plan includes the containment of the current buildings which house
the Fichandler and Kreeger theaters within a new glass enclosed lobby over
which will be a 150 foot cantilevered roof pointing up Maine Avenue toward
the Washington Monument. Both existing theaters
will be updated with the latest technology in theatrical equipment. A new
200-seat experimental theater to be called "The Cradle" will be added, as
will a residence tower for visiting artists. There will be new working space
for rehearsals, design and construction and administration. The design is by
Bing Thom of Vancouver. Arena Stage has raised $100 million for the project
with a goal of a total of $120 million. The largest donation has come from
Gilbert and Jaylee Mead. Their total contribution was $35 million, reported
to be the largest contribution to any regional theater in America. The newly
renovated facility will be named in their honor, Arena Stage at the Mead
Center for American Theater. |
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The principal entrance to
the new Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater will front Sixth
Street near where audiences currently enter the outer lobby of the
Fischandler. |
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As viewed from Maine Avenue,
the glass walled lobby will wrap around the current Kreeger and Fichandler
theaters under a massive cantilevered roof which will form a point aligned
up the waterfront toward the Washington Monument. |
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This
overhead view of the architect's model from the point of the cantilevered roof shows the residence
tower for visiting artists on the left. |
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The architect's drawings
include this view of the lobby area of the new "campus." |
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The 200-seat black box
theater dedicated to presenting new works by American playwrights will be
called "The Cradle." |
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This
site map shows the relative locations of the two exiting theaters and the
new 200-seat experimental house "The Cradle. Sixth street is on the
right and Maine Avenue runs on the left. |
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