Founder's Theatre
Lennox, Massachusetts

Seat Count: 350 - 450
Project Type: Renovation
Original Construction: 1959
Renovation Complete: June 2001
Client: Shakespeare & Co.
Architect: Payette Associates, Boston, Ma
Theatre Consultant: Theatre Projects,
Ridgefield, CT
AD Scope: Sound Isolation, Noise Control,
& Ceiling Design

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Shakespeare & Company purchased a 63-acre property in Lenox for its new home, complete with 22 buildings in various states of disrepair.

The first of the theaters at the new property, the Founders' Theatre, opened in June 2001 with a revival of its critically acclaimed production of "Coriolanus." The play fit the Elizabethan-style theater space perfectly because of the close relationship between the actors and the audience.

The Founders' Theatre seats between 350 and 450 and can be changed into five possible configurations by moving the location of the stage. The Founders' Theatre was constructed within a former gymnasium that was part of the Lenox School for Boys. AD joined the design team which included British theater consultant Iain Mackintosh along with American architect George E. Marsh, Jr.

AD played a strong role in addressing the acoustic challenges presented by the theatrical seating towers and in solving noise control issues presented by the existing mechanical equipment.