The Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival (HVSF) has unveiled the design for its new venue in Garrison.
Designed by the architecture firm Studio Gang, the 13,8850-square-foot open-air venue will be based on the HVSF’s 98-acre campus and will offer a proscenium arch designed to frame the view of Wey-Gat (or Wind Gate) of Storm King Mountain, as well as Breakneck Ridge and the Hudson River. The venue will feature other pavilions that will house a concession stand, public restrooms and a back-of-house facility for the theater company.
According to The Architect’s Newspaper, this will be the first purpose-built LEED Platinum theater in the U.S. The groundbreaking on the project will begin in 2024.
“HVSF is such a beloved cultural institution, with a truly unique natural setting in the Hudson Valley,” said, Jeanne Gang, Studio Gang partner and founding principal. “Our design aims to help the company build on their strengths, with low-carbon architecture that improves daily functionality and amplifies the traditions that define their open-air performances—like the spectacular proscenium arch framing an iconic Hudson River view—as well as create new opportunities for audiences and actors to interact before and after the show. The ecology of the site also receives a new level of care, replacing a monocultural lawn with a biodiverse landscape that brings resiliency, wildlife, and seasonal beauty for all to enjoy.”
