Since 1978, Studio Theatre in Logan Circle has attracted prominent plays to the District, while the neighborhood around it has transformed into a retail and nightlife destination. Now, Studio itself is set to change in a big way: The venue on Tuesday announced a $14.5 million renovation that will redesign one of its theater rooms and add production technology, dedicated rehearsal space, and a 1,100-square-foot ground-level cafe with outdoor seating.
The theater will remain open throughout the makeover, which is scheduled to begin in July and last until the following spring. Studio leadership says the renovations — part of a $20 million fundraising campaign dubbed “Open Studio” — will help the institution adapt for the future.
“We’re fortunate to have one of the most unique buildings on one of the busiest streets in Washington, but our physical space doesn’t match the energy and creativity that exists here,” says Rebecca Ende Lichtenberg, the managing director, in a statement. “That will change with Open Studio. The project addresses critical needs of an aging building and will serve as a reintroduction to Studio.” The site is located at 14th and P streets NW.
A focal point of the planned refurbishment is the Metheny Theatre, one of Studio’s three main theater rooms. The work will retrofit the Metheny with flexible staging configurations, including thrust, in the round, and traverse styles, for individual performances. (Studio’s two other main theater rooms are in the fixed, thrust style.) The renovated Metheny will feature seating for 215 people and standing room for over 300 people, while the entire venue will get technology and production upgrades like new lighting.
In addition, the project will create Studio’s first-ever discrete rehearsal space, so staff and visiting troupes will no longer have to rotate between the existing theater rooms during set construction and rehearsals. Aesthetic changes are also slated: “Bare ceilings will show cement slabs and pipes overhead; historical factory windows will be preserved; firebrick will be uncovered; and the building’s underpinnings and I-beams will be visible, in a nod to its past,” according to a release from Studio.
A local vendor for the cafe must still be selected. Studio and other so-called “legitimate theaters” in the city are now able to operate sidewalk cafes thanks to bills the D.C. Council passed on an expedited basis last year. (A permanent version of the legislation is expected to pass in the coming weeks.) District-based architecture firm Hickok Cole is partnering with Studio on the project.
The last time the complex was revamped was 2004, when two buildings and two theater spaces were added. Studio says it received $11.6 million for the project through a “silent round of fundraising” and $3 million in “early foundational support” through a grant from the D.C. arts commission. As part of the renovations, the complex’s HVAC systems will be updated and its office space will be expanded.
