Dance Theatre Workshop
Doris Duke Performance Center
New York, New York

Seat Count: 192 (Bessie Shonberg Theatre)
Project Type: New Construction
Construction Budget: $11.5 Million
Opening: October 2002
Client: West 19th Street Development
Architect: Rawlings Architects
AD Scope: Acoustics, Sound Isolation,
Noise Control

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The Dance Theater Workshop (DTW), a New York City performing arts institution dedicated to nurturing artistic talent, has constructed a new facility. The Doris Duke Performance Center includes a 192-seat theatre with lobby and box office along with dance studios, DTW offices, rooftop garden, retail space and a café. It will occupy the basement and first three floors of the new 11-story building, designed by architect Edgar Rawlings of Rawlings Architects. Above the studios are 12 loft condos.

The new theater space, called the Bessie in honor of the modern-dance master teacher Bessie Schönberg, has a large stage, extensive wing space, twice as many seats as the old theatre and a heated stage floor. The stage, almost twice the size of the previous one, rises two floors from the basement. Rehearsals may be watched by passersby through floor-to-ceiling windows, a popular innovation in dance buildings.

Achieving an excellent acoustic environment for the performance of dance was a first priority of the dance company. The room acoustics support both live and recorded music. The building's mechanical and electrical systems and the air distribution system serving the theater are especially quiet, to enhance the dramatic effect of quiet moments in performance. Sound isolation between spaces was also a prime requirement, since the building is stacked with offices and mechanical rooms above the theatre, and dance rehearsal studios are sandwiched between offices and residences.