Mecanoo Architects design landmark new theatre for dance at Jacob's Pillow in the USA

Doris Duke Theatre

Architect: Mecanoo Architects
Location: Becket, Massachusetts
Type: Theatre
Year: 2025
Photographs:

Project Overview

The following description is courtesy of the architects. For nearly 100 years Jacob’s Pillow has been the home of dance in America. In summer 2025, it opens the new and reimagined Doris Duke Theatre—a bold and flexible new creative space for dance.

Jacob’s Pillow’s commitment to the full range of dance creation and presentation genres is reflected in the three performance stages on its campus: The historic Ted Shawn Theatre, the first proscenium stage designed and created specifically for dance in the USA in 1942; the Henry J. Leir Stage, an outdoor venue overlooking the Berkshire mountains and originally constructed in 1981; and the Doris Duke Theatre, which originally opened in 1990 and was designed to support intimate works and experimentation. There development of the theater follows the loss of the original building to fire in November 2020.

Designed by internationally acclaimed Dutch architecture firm Mecanoo, the new Doris Duke Theatre provides an immersive venue that supports year-round needs, while retaining an open and porous feeling that is engaged and deeply connected to the natural world around it. The design aims to maintain the intimacy of the former studio theater, while at the same time providing a makerspace with a technological foundation, enabling emerging and seasoned artists to develop groundbreaking works at the intersection of dance and technology. From streaming to motion-capture, coding with AI in robotics to immersive digital art, the Doris Duke Theatre brings physical and virtual audiences together in a rich, creative space dedicated to the dance of tomorrow.

Netherlands-based architecture firm Mecanoo, led by their renowned Creative Director and Founding Partner Francine Houben, has served as the lead architect for the new building project, in partnership with U.S.-based architecture firm Marvel as the local architect and landscape architect. Charcoalblue has consulted on theater and acoustic design for the project. Jeffrey Gibson, Choctaw/Cherokee, has served as a consultant on the building’s relationship to the site and Indigenous values, a key element of the building’s design.

Project Description

The reimagined Doris Duke Theatre is approximately 20,000 sq. ft., compared with the former Duke’s roughly 8,500 sq. ft. footprint. The design allows for multi-use flexibility, so that the building can support performances, events, residencies, and more, sometimes simultaneously. The flexible seating configurations can accommodate 220-400 depending on the size of the performance space, with an array of seating and stage configurations.

The building features two lobbies with sliding doors, which create multiple entrances and exits to the building. The Jameson Family Lobby on the west side of the building serves to welcome visitors in from a spacious artist quadrangle, and also provides a covered and ventilated space for pre-show talks alongside a new exhibition space. The Forest Studio on the east side of the building serves as a warm-up and rehearsal space for artists, and can also host receptions and meetings as needed. The building can also accommodate a future rainwater collection tank from the extensive green rooftops for flushing toilets and irrigation. This embrace of the site and nature, balanced with a need to push the boundaries of dance, embodies the ambition for the theater and captures the magic of performing at Jacob’s Pillow.

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Ground-breaking theater technology consultant Charcoalblue has designed the space to house today’s most advanced technology while remaining agile enough to integrate emerging technologies developed in the future.

The robust infrastructure of the theater includes high-speed performance networks, as well as flexible locations for stage management and sound, and a dedicated video room for documentation and livestreams. The theater also has improved lighting and audio capabilities, with an efficient LED stage lighting system as the baseline, and with the ability to add incandescent fixtures. Many windows and skylights (with darkening capabilities) throughout the building connect the theater with the surrounding campus and landscape.

The building’s infrastructure supports technological capabilities including the use ofa digital spatial audio system with live tracking of dancers correlated to moving sound images, infrared camera tracking of performers for interactive video content, and live dance performance interaction with recorded/projected dance content.Hard-wired connectivity between buildings enables real time collaboration acrossPillow venues using simultaneous filmed performances.

Landscape Architecture

Inspired by the region's natural beauty, the new Doris Duke Theatre's landscape architecture plan designed by Marvel harmonizes with its surroundings, reflecting the rich local ecology of the Berkshires. This design not only nurtures a deep connection between the performing arts and nature, but also honors the area's Indigenous history. To the west of the Theatre, the landscape design will create a central quad, framed by a sculptural "scramble" made from locally sourced stone to welcome dancers and visitors and provide spaces for lounging, rehearsal, and celebration. To the east, landscapes designed in collaboration with Indigenous artists celebrate Indigenous knowledge, with a gathering garden and a communal fire pit that reflect the land’s cultural traditions and recognize the original inhabitants thatinform Jacob’s Pillow and its quintessential identity.

Landscape architecture firm Marvel has collaborated with Indigenous artists to incorporate traditional aspects into the site design, emphasizing Indigenous ways of engaging with their environment and culture. The Garden, collaboratively designed by Misty Cook and Kathi Arnold, is inspired by the Medicine Wheel and Many Trails Symbol, which represents unity amongst all, strength, and endurance of the Stockbridge-Munsee people. This area is surrounded by native plants with medicinal qualities, and guides access along the eastern and southern paths. Andre Strongbearheart Gaines Jr., a Nipmuc citizen, has led the design for the Fire Pit, which serves as a gathering place to reflect, heal, and celebrate. With seven stone steps connecting it to the Garden, it is part of the visitor’s experience as they navigate to the re-imagined Doris Duke Theatre.