CONTACT INFORMATION
Kristen Mathias
Marketing Director
T 203 299-0830
F 203 299-0835
kmathias@theatreprojects.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 24, 2009
Theatre Projects teams on Richmond CenterStage performing arts complex
NORWALK, CT
Theatre Projects teams on Richmond CenterStage performing arts complex. Working with Wilson Butler
Architects and acoustician Jaffe Holden, Theatre Projects has created a new home for the performing arts
in downtown Richmond, Virginia. Their work includes the restoration and renovation of the Carpenter
Theatre for large-scale productions and the adaptive reuse of a local icon, the Thalhimer’s department
store, into Dorothy Pauley Square, a home for local artists.
“We’re thrilled that this is going to be a dynamic new hub for all kinds of local community arts programs
and a magnet for larger scale-touring productions,” says Theatre Projects’ project manager, Jules Lauve.
The centerpiece of this new complex is the newly renovated 1,800-seat Carpenter Theatre. The theatre has
been restored and re-built to accommodate Broadway size and scale touring productions and to
accommodate uses for symphony, dance, and opera.
Built in 1928 as a Loew’s Theatre, the building operated as a movie theatre until 1979. It was restored and
reopened in 1983 as the Carpenter Center for the Performing Arts. The Carpenter Center, now the
Carpenter Theatre, has been renovated once again and features a completely new stagehouse, improved
seating, and an enlarged lobby area.
Since the Carpenter Theatre was originally a vaudeville-style theatre intended to accommodate movies
and small variety acts, the stage and stagehouse were limited and not well suited for today’s performance
standards. As part of this renovation, the back of the stage and the existing stagehouse were demolished.
Theatre Projects designed a new stage and stagehouse that can accommodate four very different types of
users – Richmond Symphony, Virginia Opera, Richmond Ballet, and touring Broadway.
Theatre Projects also collaborated with the design team to reseat and re-rake the entire auditorium to
improve seating, sightlines, acoustics, and auditorium comfort while maintaining the treasured ambience
of the 1920s architecture. Theatre Projects helped develop new seats to replicate the original seating while
providing for modern comfort.
In addition, Theatre Projects helped create Dorothy Pauley Square, which serves as a home for local and
regional artists. The Square includes performing arts spaces for music, theatre, dance, and arts education
including an intimate 200-seat playhouse for local performances (Gottwald Playhouse), a multipurpose
room (Rhythm Hall), an arts education center (Genworth BrightLights Education Center), a gallery, artist
studios, and support spaces.
Richmond CenterStage will surely infuse new vitality and energy into this regional market.
Carpenter Theatre fast facts
Area
Before
Stage width
76’
Stage depth
29’
Seat count
1,850
Dressing room capacity
(# of performers)
Women’s restrooms
(# of stalls)
Loading docks
39
Now
102’
49’
1,800 –wider seats and
more legroom
200
9
36
0
3
###
Notes for Editors:
Theatre Projects is an international team of theatre designers and planners creating extraordinary
performance spaces around the world. For 50 years Theatre Projects has provided creative design solutions
and technical innovation and expertise to more than 1,200 projects in over 70 countries. The TPC team is
based in Connecticut and London, with regional offices in Düsseldorf and Shanghai. For more information
please visit theatreprojects.com.
The following photos of Richmond CenterStage are available for editorial use only. Additional photos are
available upon request. The photo credit “Theatre Projects” must accompany all photos.
High resolution photographs are available for download in the Theatre Projects Media Room.