A ground breaking ceremony was held recently in Garrison, New York, for a new theater designed by Studio Gang. The Samuel H. Scripps Theater Center will soon host plays by the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival (HVSF).
New York Governor Kathy Hochul attended the celebration, among other local politicians and stakeholders. Davis McCallum, artistic director at HVSF, said construction was made possible by a historic $10 million grant from New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA). At the event, Hochul pledged another $80 million for cultural organizations across New York state.
Upon completion, the Samuel H. Scripps Theater Center will be the first purpose-built LEED Platinum theater in the U.S. It will anchor Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival’s 98-acre campus, which has been reimagined by Nelson Byrd Woltz Architects (NBW).
Studio Gang opted for a curved timber-framed grid shell at HVSF’s main theater, supported by timber columns that rise up from the landscape. A bevy of floating pavilions will coalesce near the main pavilion that dot the master plan by NBW, which will offer new picnic lawns shaded by native trees.
Renderings of the new 14,850-square-foot-venue were released last November, as reported by AN. But the complex didn’t have a donor then. Now, the complex is indebted to Samuel H. Scripps who, with his wife Luise Elcannes Scripps, had a deep love for Shakespeare. Mr. Scripps gave much of his fortune to philanthropy.
“Hudson Valley Shakespeare’s new theater is designed to immerse audiences and actors in the rich landscape of the Hudson Valley,” Jeanne Gang said in a statement. “The architecture weaves in elements of the natural environment to create a unique indoor-outdoor setting for the company’s open-air productions and to offer an unparalleled theater experience.”
“Having worked with Hudson Valley Shakespeare for many years—first on the site master plan, and now on the landscape design—we are thrilled to see this project coming to fruition, and to help shape Hudson Valley Shakespeare’s first permanent home,” Thomas Woltz, cofounder of NBW, shared. “Our design celebrates the natural beauty of this extraordinary site and creates connections between theater and landscape to enhance the magic of storytelling for generations to come.”
Construction is slated for completion in summer 2026.
