Providence, RI – Trinity Repertory Company recently held a ceremonial groundbreaking for the renovation of its Lederer Theater Center, marking the start of construction on the $40 million project.
“Today marks a transformational milestone for Trinity Rep and for Rhode Island’s creative community,” Trinity Rep executive director, Katie Liberman, said. “This project honors our historic home while ensuring that artists, students, and audiences alike can access and experience the power of live theater in a welcoming, modern, and inspiring space.”
Adrian Hall Way / Renderings courtesy of Flansburgh Architects
Built as the Emery’s Majestic Theater in 1917, the historic Lederer Theater Center has not been substantially renovated since the early 1970s, when Trinity Rep first purchased the building. The renovation is designed to bring the theater into the 21st century, making the spaces safer, more accessible, and more welcoming for all, while creating additional square footage. The project was designed by Flansburgh Architects, with Gilbane Building Company serving as construction manager.
“The Lederer Theater Center is a truly majestic building rich in history and full of opportunity,” Flansburgh Architects president and principal, David Croteau, said. “Since its construction over a century ago, the structure and its subsequent modifications present a complex task of introducing modernization and accessibility while preserving the original character that makes this building so special. These renovations and additions strive to achieve that balance.”
David Rosenburg of Theatre Projects is serving as project manager and principal in charge on the renovation. “Trinity Repertory is one the most established repertory theatre companies in the country with a rich history of artistic collaborations between directors, actors, and designers. They are performing in a theatre built in 1917, which was split to create venues both upstairs, the Chace, and downstairs, the Dowling. Although they are not used as a traditional proscenium theater space, it is a wonderful ‘found’ space with great bones,” he said. “Taking an existing structure and retrofitting to the needs of today’s productions is always a challenge because you’re dealing with the remaining construction. There are always issues that can’t be fully resolved until we start renovating. We are helping the Rep to take their productions to a higher level, and they are absolutely ready for this upgrade. As a company, Theatre Projects is very excited to help the repertory to move forward into the 21st century.”
A major focus of the renovation is accessibility. For the first time in Trinity Rep’s history, a new elevator will provide access to every story of the building. Currently, only three of the building’s five stories are accessible without stairs. This improvement will unlock the remaining two stories—home to studios, rehearsal halls, dressing rooms, and the costume shop—for artistic, educational, and community use.“Welcoming all audiences into Trinity Rep is fundamental to our mission and our values,” Trinity Rep’s Laura H. Harris artistic director, Curt Columbus, said. “This project ensures that everyone, regardless of mobility, can fully participate in the life of the theater, whether onstage, behind the scenes, in our audience, or in our classrooms.”
The project’s construction team from Flansburgh Architects, Peregrine Group, and Gilbane, with Curt Columbus and Katie Liberman. / Photo by Mark Turek
The addition will also expand public gathering areas and education facilities, creating a flexible, light-filled space that serves as an extension of the theater lobby. It will provide room for community programming, student workshops, and events, while consolidating Trinity Rep’s administrative offices, which are currently located in rented space across the street.
In partnership with the City of Providence, Adrian Hall Way will be transformed from an alleyway into a public plaza, featuring a pedestrian walkway, improved lighting, outdoor gathering spaces, new plantings, and an expanded skate park. The renovation also includes the first major update to the Chace Theater—Trinity Rep’s 500+ seat upstairs venue. Updates will include new, more comfortable and accessible seating; flexible seating configurations; a new LED lighting grid; and modernized stage infrastructure.
Executive Director Katie Liberman and Artistic Director Curt Columbus in the Chace Theater, which is now an active construction zone. / Photo by Mark Turek
“The design had to reconcile a remarkably complex set of conditions. The building received a substantial renovation back in the 1970s when Trinity Rep acquired the building which included dividing the existing theatre into two (the Dowling below and the Chace above) and reconfiguring the existing flytower into stacked workshops and rehearsal spaces. Separately, the addition is built on what was previously a public way where the floor plan of the addition is constrained by the area of the property allotted to the project with the remaining existing streetscape converted into a park by the city’s public works department,” said Daithi Blair, project manager at Flansburgh Architects. “The resulting geometry of the addition, in tandem with the complex and varied floor levels of the existing building, required careful and meticulous planning, coordination and detailing to ensure code compliance and accessibility at every level. At the same time, we had to be careful to balance our respect for this wonderful building with the need for a fresh contemporary and welcoming entrance.”
Demolition work for the project began last fall, and construction will continue through early 2027.
Project team:
Architect: Flansburgh Architects
Construction Manager: Gilbane Building Company
Owner’s Project Manager: Peregrine Group
Theatre Consultants: Theatre Projects
Exterior Facade Restoration: Wessling Architects
MEP/FP Engineering: Buro Happold
Structural Engineering: Boston Building Consultants
