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Baryshnikov Arts Center’s New Theater
Renovations begin this spring on an inventive space
The Baryshnikov Arts Center occupies the top three floors of the 37 Arts Building (Photo: Ryan Dunn)
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The arts have certainly been feeling the burn of economic hardships. But the best way to foster and stimulate creativity is to offer up something new to meet the demands of the arts community and the artists themselves. Major renovations and opening a new theater is not the most customary approach to a struggling field, but it may prove to be a novel idea, one that will entice artists and audiences.
In late November, the Baryshnikov Arts Center purchased a theater on the third floor of their current building. The new space will be named the Jerome Robbins Theater, and plans call for massive renovations. The purchase was made possible by a $2.5 million donation from the Jerome Robbins Foundation and equaled by Mikhail Baryshnikov, while various campaigns will support the renovations. The 299-seat theater is a major initiative for BAC, as they aim to expand themselves for artists in any discipline. “It’s one of my favorite things to talk about,” laughs Stanford Makishi, executive director of BAC. Afterwards, he discussed the demolition beginning around mid-May of 2009. Removing all of the existing seating and balconies in the space, Makishi says, “We are pretty much starting with an empty box.”
A construction company for the job has not been selected, so an end date is not in sight (although estimated around January 2010.) The Jerome Robbins Theater will serve as an advantageous addition to New York City as a theater for performances and a multi-disciplinary workplace, with The Wooster Group as its resident theater company. With a call from artists for more dynamic spaces to experiment, BAC has answered with a theater that can be useful during the creative process. “The artists can create in the setting of a theater. Not in the studio the entire time and then going in one day for a tech rehearsal,” Makishi says. More accessible, the new theater can reinvent the way art is being inspired and performed. “The artists can step back and see from the perspective of an audience member,” making the theater a more complete part of the work, rather than just a place to perform it.
BAC’s record of low cost (often free) programming provides one more benefit to the space. They also look to utilize “green” technology in the construction, although there are currently no specifics. “We do intend to extend the mission of BAC to provide service for artists and produce residencies,” says Makishi. As we face these economic obstacles, BAC is not just sitting back they are undeniably moving forward.