Writers Theatre in Illinois by Studio Gang

Article source: Studio Gang

Organized as a village-like cluster of distinct volumes that surround a central hub, the building’s form resonates with the character of Glencoe’s downtown. The theater’s two performance spaces—a main stage and a smaller black box venue—employ innovative staging and seating configurations to maximize the sense of intimacy between actors and audience and to enhance the immersive experience of Writers’ productions.

Image Courtesy © Hedrich Blessing

• Architects: Studio Gang
• Project: Writers Theatre
• Location: Glencoe, Illinois, USA
• Photography: Hedrich Blessing
• Client: Writers Theatre

Image Courtesy © Hedrich Blessing

• Consultant Team: 
  • Project advisor: AMS Planning and Research
  • Theater consultant: Auerbach Pollock Friedlander
  • Landscape architect: Coen + Partners
  • MEP/FP: DbHMS
  • Structural engineering: Halvorson and Partners
  • Lighting: Lightswitch
  • Engineering specialist: Peter Heppel Associates
  • Civil engineering: SPACECO, Inc.
  • Acoustics: Threshold Acoustics
  • Timber specialist: Trillium Dell Timberworks
  • Cost consultant: Venue
  • Sustainability consultant: WMA Consulting Engineers
  • General contractor: W.E. O’Neil
• Size: 36,000 sf
• Status: Built 2016

Image Courtesy © Hedrich Blessing

Image Courtesy © Hedrich Blessing

Theater’s ability to bring people together across boundaries has made it an important force in urban life since ancient times.

Studio Gang’s design for Glencoe’s Writers Theatre is intended to maximize this potential for a 21st-century theater company, creating an architecture that energizes the daily life of its community and becomes an exciting, region-wide cultural destination.

Image Courtesy © Hedrich Blessing

Image Courtesy © Hedrich Blessing

Both of these performance venues, in addition to rehearsal space and public zones, open onto the central gathering space of the lobby. Structured by great timber Vierendeel trusses with a lighter wood lattice supporting its secondfloor gallery walk, the lobby is designed to accommodate multiple uses, including informal performances, talks, and community events.

Image Courtesy © Hedrich Blessing

Image Courtesy © Hedrich Blessing

The building engages its context through transparent visual connections and ivy-covered backdrops to the surrounding parks. In fair weather the lobby can open to the adjacent Women’s Library Club Park, allowing the energy and interaction generated within the theater to extend outward into the community beyond. At night, the theater glows from within, drawing interest and activity to this important cultural anchor.

Image Courtesy © Hedrich Blessing

Image Courtesy © Hedrich Blessing

Image Courtesy © Hedrich Blessing

Image Courtesy © Hedrich Blessing

Image Courtesy © Hedrich Blessing

Image Courtesy © Hedrich Blessing

Image Courtesy © Hedrich Blessing

Image Courtesy © Hedrich Blessing

Image Courtesy © Studio Gang

Image Courtesy © Studio Gang

Image Courtesy © Studio Gang

Image Courtesy © Studio Gang

Image Courtesy © Studio Gang

Tags: Illinois, USA

Categories: Cultural Center, Theater

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