Kitchen Theatre Company, an organization known for cutting edge performance, enlisted L+AA to perform a feasibility study for the purchase of a turn of the century warehouse and, subsequently, to design the theatre’s new home in downtown Ithaca.

An early client/architect charette yielded enthusiastic consensus to utilize the structure’s industrial typology as a springboard for thinking about the new space. Removing all but the shell and structure, the design team planned a sequence of 3 flexible performance spaces: a 99 seat theatre centrally located, a multi-use black box with an open program, and a high public space that fronted onto the street. The theatre, by means of the rotation of a moveable stage wall, expands into a performance space with double the capacity. The street space accommodates dance productions, supports lobby functions, and is an art gallery for local artists. The lobby space doubles as a fund raising and party venue.

Minimal interventions into the façade yielded the Beacon, the theatrically lit atria announces the theatre’s presence on the otherwise barren street and blurs the performance boundary between street (public) and theatre (private). Equipped with stage lighting, the Beacon’s illumination of the street reinforces the Kitchen as cultural anchor for an urban area in transition.

The Kitchen was awarded the Town of Ithaca civic award, 2010 Pride of Ownership, for the building’s transformational role within the neighborhood.

The new facility features rehearsal spaces, dressing rooms, green rooms, laundry, shop, and ample costume and prop storage. The façade and artist housing will be completed in Phase 2.

The Kitchen was certified LEED Silver with an emphasis on environmental responsibility through the selection of efficient mechanical and lighting systems, low-flow fixtures, 100% renewable, non-toxic materials for interior finishes.