New Trinity Rep Renovations Spotlight Accessibility and Modern Updates

The groundbreaking featured fake snow from the upcoming production of A Christmas Carol. From left, Trinity Rep Artistic Director Curt Columbus, U.S. Representative Seth Magaziner, Rhode Island House Speaker Joe Shekarchi, Trinity Rep Executive Director Katie Liberman, Providence City Councilwoman Ana Vargas, U.S. Representative Gabe Amo, Mayor Brett Smiley, and Providence City Councilwoman Sue Anderbois. (Photo by Mark Turek)

Christmas came early this week at Trinity Repertory Company, where staff, supporters and public officials gathered onstage to mark the start of an extensive renovation supported by a $40 million capital campaign.

Standing on the set of A Christmas Carol (opening tonight and directed this year by Richard and Sharon Jenkins) Tuesday afternoon, Executive Director Katie Liberman and Artistic Director Curt Columbus praised the collaboration leading up to the project, the first full-scale renovation since the theater company moved into the space in the early 1970s. In true Trinity Rep fashion, guests plunged their ceremonial shovels not into the ground, but into a trough of fake snow from the upcoming production, declaring the project officially underway.

“The vision for this project was generated over a decade ago and comes out of a desire to welcome all Rhode Island to the work that we do,” Columbus says.

The project, which began demolition over the summer, has three main goals, according to Liberman. In addition to adding 12,000 square feet to the historic Lederer Theater Centre and renovating the Chace Theater (the larger of the theater’s two performance spaces), the design adds a new elevator accessing all five floors of the building. While the existing layout of the building includes an elevator, not all spaces are accessible.

“When the work is complete, Trinity Rep will be fully accessible for the first time in our history,” Columbus says.

During a tour of the building prior to the gathering, Columbus and Liberman explained the changes that will allow the theater company to return to its roots. The building, originally constructed as Emery’s Majestic Theater in 1917, was renovated in the early 1970s to become the new home of Trinity Rep, then only a decade-old theater company. At the time, seating in the 520-seat Chace Theater was flexible, allowing staff to rearrange the space for performances as needed.

In the early 2000s, as fire codes tightened in response to the Station nightclub fire, the seats were locked into place. Under the new design, the seating will once again be moveable, allowing the theater to present performances “in the round” and rearrange the space to fit up to 575 guests. The new layout will also feature enhanced sound and lighting features and a reconfigured trap space below the stage.

“It took us about nine months to clear this space to ready it for demolition,” says Liberman, noting last year’s performance of A Christmas Carol took place at the Providence Performing Arts Center due to the ongoing preparations.

A major feature of the project is a 12,000-square-foot expansion into Adrian Hall Way, the alleyway on the building’s right. The addition will hold the new elevator and a concession area and create space for the theater to consolidate its administrative offices within the building. That plan initially drew pushback from Providence’s skating community who were concerned it would infringe on the skate park in the alleyway. After the intervention of the Providence Parks Department and city councilors, however, the two sides reached an agreement earlier this year. Under the new plan, Liberman says, the building’s footprint will still expand, but a shifted entryway, new pedestrian walkway and expanded area for the skate park will ensure the two uses can coincide.

“I think it was a great feat of everybody coming to the table and trying to solve problems together,” she says.

During the groundbreaking, several speakers noted the importance of supporting Trinity Rep amid the ongoing uncertainty around arts funding. Both U.S. Representative Seth Magaziner and Representative Gabe Amo reminisced on seeing A Christmas Carol at the theater as kids (U.S. Senator Jack Reed, originally expected to attend the groundbreaking, was away in Washington D.C. due to the shutdown negotiations), and Magaziner mentioned the threats to the National Endowment for the Arts following calls from President Donald Trump’s administration to eliminate the agency. Providence Mayor Brett Smiley, hinting at the recent crisis over SNAP funding during the federal shutdown, reiterated his support for the arts. He referenced the theater’s Project Discovery, which regularly brings schoolchildren to Trinity Rep to see shows.

“We need to answer with resolution loud and clear that the arts are more important than ever,” he says. “While we need to feed our neighbors and we will, we also need to feed their souls. And we can do both.”

As for A Christmas Carol, Liberman and Columbus both cautioned patrons to buy their tickets early. While the audience-favorite play has returned under the Trinity Rep roof this year, it’s being staged in the smaller Dowling Theater, which has fewer seats available for each performance. Directed by Richard and Sharon Jenkins, that show presents some of Trinity’s best-known cast members in a retelling of the Christmas classic.

“It’s the most moving Christmas Carol, because you’re that close to the story,” Columbus says.

For more information about the renovations or to purchase tickets to A Christmas Carol, visit trinityrep.com.

A view of the Lederer Theater Center’s exterior from the corner of Washington Street and Aborn Street. (Rendering by Flansburgh Architects)

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