image description — The new building is projected to cost $30 million and is supported by a coalition of donors and foundations, with a formal campaign launching in May 2023.

Jacob's Pillow to Rebuild Doris Duke Theatre

Staff Reports 12:39PM / Saturday, May 06, 2023Print Story | Email Story

BECKET, Mass.— Jacob's Pillow announced building plans to rebuild and reimagine the Doris Duke Theatre, a flexible theater on the site of the original Doris Duke Theatre, which was lost to a fire of undetermined cause in November 2020.

The reimagined Doris Duke Theatre will be approximately 20,000 sq. ft., compared with the former Duke's roughly 8,500 sq. ft. footprint. The design allows for multi-use flexibility, so that the building can support performances, events, residencies, and more, sometimes simultaneously. The theater will seat up to 230 patrons in the main performance space, with an array of seating and stage configurations.

"We are so grateful for the leadership support that makes it possible for us to envision a re-imagined Doris Duke Theatre, one that promises to have the warmth and character of the original and beloved Duke, while at the same time being relevant and accessible to what artists and audiences will need in the future," said Jacob's Pillow Executive and Artistic Director, Pamela Tatge. "The building will deeply resonate with and respect the land and environment on which it rests. At the same time, it will be technologically equipped to ensure that the creative appetites of artists will be served in the decades to come."

The new building is projected to cost $30 million and is supported by a coalition of donors and foundations, with a formal campaign launching in May 2023. Since the announcement of the naming gift of $10 million from The Doris Duke Foundation in November, Jacob's Pillow has received leadership support from the Knight Foundation to support digital implementation, as well as commitments from Barbara and Amos Hostetter, the Barr Foundation, and Sarah Arison and the Arison Arts Foundation. The Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund supported the pre-schematic design phase of the project. An endowment of at least $5 million is being raised to help support the digital integration of the new Doris Duke Theatre and provide direct support to the artists who will make their work in Pillow Lab residencies in the future.

"The design creates a year-round space," added Tatge, "that will serve as an incubator for a new generation of artists seeking to integrate technology into live performance and create art native to the digital realm. It will be a porous, indoor/outdoor space for creation, performance, and community engagement that speaks to the lessons we've learned during the pandemic about the need for community-building, and our innate connection with nature, which we at the Pillow treasure greatly."

The building will feature two lobbies with sliding doors, which will create multiple entrances and exits to the building. The lobby on the west side of the building will serve to welcome visitors in from the spacious artist quadrangle, and will also provide a covered and ventilated space for pre-show talks alongside a new exhibition space. The lobby on the east side of the building will serve as a warm-up and rehearsal space for artists, and can also host receptions and meetings as needed.

"Jacob's Pillow has always been at the forefront," said Sam Gill, president and CEO of the Doris Duke Foundation. "The new Duke Theatre will enable Jacob's Pillow to harness the digital revolution to serve a more inclusive, innovative, and engaging vision for dance."

Rainwater will be collected from the green rooftops of the building to be reused for flushing toilets and irrigation.

Contributions from Indigenous artists to the design will include visual art installations, a medicinal garden with local and indigenous plantings near the entrance of the building, and a fire pit for gatherings and celebrations.

The infrastructure of the theater will include high-speed internet, as well as flexible locations for stage management and sound, and a dedicated video room for documentation and livestreams. The theater will also have improved lighting and audio capabilities, with an efficient LED stagelighting system as the baseline, and with the ability to add incandescent fixtures. Many windows and skylights (with darkening capabilities) throughout the building will connect the theater with the surrounding campus and landscape.

The building's infrastructure will support technological capabilities including the use of a digital spatial audio system with live tracking of dancers correlated to moving sound images, infrared camera tracking of performers for interactive video content, and live dance performance interaction with recorded/projected dance content. Hard-wired connectivity between buildings will enable real time collaboration across Pillow venues using simultaneous filmed performances.

"I can't overstate the importance of this sort of technologically-forward space for the dance field right now," said Sydney Skybetter, Choreographer and Founder of the Conference for Research on Choreographic Interfaces at Brown University. Skybetter is a consultant on the Doris Duke Theatre project. "Dance artists sorely need the sorts of space, tech, and expertise that the Pillow is assembling right now. This is where the future of the field will come from."

Safety, comfort, and accessibility will be improved for audiences, artists, and staff compared with the former Duke. This will include the addition of catwalks for easy technical installation, additional bathrooms, and an enlarged green room and dressing rooms for artists. New seating arrangements will include mezzanine access to the top of the retractable seating to allow for late seating and more accessible seating options. Additional functions include a support box office and office spaces for staff.

Netherlands-based architecture firm Mecanoo, led by Creative Director and Founding Partner Francine Houben, is serving as the lead architect for the new building project, in partnership with New York-based architecture firm Marvel, led by Jonathan Marvel, founding principal, as the architect of record and landscape architects. Theater and acoustics consultants Charcoalblue are working alongside the architectural team on the project.

"For me, what was inspiring arriving at Jacob's Pillow is the energy of the festival and experiencing performance in this unique natural setting," said Francine Houben. "We wanted to make a building which embodied Indigenous principles of connecting with the land and thinking seven generations forward. The sequence of moving between outdoors and indoors and the sculptural layering of the building emphasizes the feeling of movement in space, while firmly rooted to the site in this special place in the Berkshires."

Jeffrey Gibson, a member of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and of Cherokee descent, is serving as a consultant on the building's relationship to the site and Indigenous design values. According to a press release, the Pillow seeks to honor the building's context on the ancestral lands of the Muh-he-con-ne-ok, or Mohican peoples, who are now known as the Stockbridge-Munsee Community and reside in Wisconsin. Additionally, the Pillow honors the Agawam, Nipmuc, and Pocumtuc who also made their homes in what is now known as Western Massachusetts. Gibson has participated in regular design sessions and has helped steward stakeholder engagement with Indigenous community members to seek feedback on the evolving design.

"It's been great working with Jacob's Pillow and Mecanoo to develop the new Doris Duke Theatre," Gibson said. "The current design takes into account important Indigenous values and supports multiple kinds of performances that can engage the inside and the outside of the building and traditional and more intimate performances. Certain Indigenous materials, patterns, and processes will be reflected in the interior and exterior, and I'm excited to see the submissions from Indigenous artists to help realize the final iteration of the building."

The original Doris Duke Theatre at Jacob's Pillow was built as the Studio/Theatre in 1989 as one of three primary performance spaces on Jacob's Pillow's 220-acre campus in Western Massachusetts and opened for its first full season in 1990.

The new Doris Duke Theatre will restore a second indoor theater space for Jacob's Pillow's annual summer Dance Festival alongside the flagship Ted Shawn Theatre, and provide year-round studio space on the Pillow campus, in addition to the Perles Family Studio, which is home to The School at Jacob's Pillow and the Pillow Lab, artist-in-residence program.

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Rain Slows Growth of Butternut Fire

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:35PM / Thursday, November 21, 2024

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass.— Rain has slowed the Butternut Fire's growth but it's estimated at about 1,200 acres at this point.

It's the largest wildfire in the Berkshires since nearly a 1,000 acres burned in Clarksburg State Forest back in 2021.

"We want to start with some good news. Ground patrols are finding minimal new fire activity since this morning's rains began," the Great Barrington Fire Department posted on its Facebook page at 12:45 p.m..

"We want to reiterate that the rain will not extinguish the fire but it is helping to stop the spread. The weather has also delayed some of the drone operations — as a result we do not have an official size. What we do know — the growth has been minimal."

Fire Lt. Brian Mead earlier Thursday morning said the fire had seen some growth overnight but not to extent of Wednesday's surge. Fire was reported within a quarter mile of homes and was "stopped in its tracks." There are now more than 100 personnel on the ground and there has been one injury related to the fire, which he did not elaborate on.

"The rain will help to some extent but it will not extinguish the fire," said Mead. "We will remain on scene for the days and weeks to come but we still need your help. Please, please follow the local and state bans on outdoor fire. The last thing we need is another preventable fire."

At 4 p.m., the department reported that it will continue to operate under unified command with support from local, state, and federal agencies. Friday's operations will be scaled back with smaller crews and focused on monitoring and reporting.

At the last live update of the day, Mead said the fire would continue to be monitored and fire crews dispatched as needed.

"There is a lot of misinformation on out social media and we ask that you please, please rely on local official sites," he said. "Please avoid the areas and allow us to do our work."

The rain and smoke has made drone monitoring difficult so the exact size of the fire is not known; he estimated it grew about 100 acres over the past 24 hours.

Two rumors he dispelled were that the fire did not start at Camp Eisner. Mead said the initial location of the burn has not been identified but it did not start at the camp, which is occupied. Ski Butternut is also not in danger and that fire crews have kept the blaze to a safe distance.

A section of the Appalachian Trail has been affected and that area shut down.

Thursday's rain slowed growth and allowed crews to establish strong fire boundaries meaning that swaths have been cut and cleared to create fire breaks — which are holding.

At this time, no homes or structures are in immediate danger.

The fire near Brush Hill Road off East Mountain was first reported Monday evening. On Tuesday, it spread over 100 acres, and on Wednesday, it covered over 1,100 acres, expanding into Sheffield.

The town remains in a state of emergency, as declared by the Select Board on Tuesday, but first responders assure that Great Barrington is not in danger.

Firefighters were dispatched to three locations for concerns of fire extension into homes and in one instance, the fire was allowed to continue in a controlled state to a driveway and self-extinguished. They are aware of one injury from the fire and urge community members to avoid the area and leave firefighting to the professionals.

"More than 120 personnel are on the ground today fighting this fire," Mead reported on Thursday morning.

He said the day’s rain will help to some extent but will not extinguish the fire, explaining "We will remain on scene for the days and weeks to come."

At this time, the primary focus remains the protection of life and property, as patrols and alert residents identified some encroaching fire and stopped it in its tracks.

"We have strategically placed structural task forces, prepared to protect homes and property. Although they are staged and at the ready — there is NO immediate threat to residents," the department wrote in the 12:45 update.

"At the same time, crews have been working through the rain cutting fire breaks in the forest to further stop any expansion. Those control lines are holding."

Area residents can expect smoke to linger for the next several days. The Southern Berkshire Public Health Collaborative released guidance for the poor air quality, as it can worsen allergies and cause respiratory infections, especially for those with heart disease asthma, or other lung diseases.

Residents are urged to monitor air quality and symptoms, move outdoor activities inside, wear a KN-95 mask when outdoors, close windows and vents in homes, and use HEPA filters.

Even with recent rains — there is a burn ban in Great Barrington until further notice. Additionally, state officials are evaluating week by week for statewide bans.

"With an immense amount of appreciation, we are not accepting donations at this time. In true New England fashion — neighbors have truly helped neighbors," the department wrote. "We are grateful to the community for once again showing your support."

Mead urged the community to "please please follow the local and state bans on fire, the last thing we need is another preventable fire."