Architect Mitchell Kurtz of Mitchell Kurtz Architect, PC Selected to Design Hartford Stage Renovation and Expansion Project
February 20, 2008/Hartford, CT . . . Hartford Stage has selected the New York City based firm Mitchell Kurtz Architect, PC to develop and design the proposed renovation and expansion of their historic Church Street theatre in downtown Hartford. Michael Wilson, Artistic Director and Michael Stotts, Managing Director made the announcement at the Tony Award-winning theatre today, following a rigorous selection process lead by Board Member Bruce Simons of the Simons Real Estate Group last summer. Mitchell Kurtz was selected from 19 firms that responded to a Request for Qualifications, and six firms that were selected to submit full proposals.
After three years of planning and feasibility studies funded by the State of Connecticut under the leadership of Governor M. Jodi Rell and overseen by theatre planner Fisher Dachs and Associates of New York, the Hartford Stage Board of Directors determined that the theatre would remain in downtown Hartford at its current location. The Hartford Stage renovation and expansion project includes infrastructure upgrades to the 489-seat theatre designed by renowned architect Robert Venturi in 1977 that will improve lighting, sound and mechanical systems, increases access to all parts of the facility for people with disabilities, expand the theatre’s lobbies and public spaces, and refurbish backstage facilities for Hartford Stage technical staff and guest artists.
Michael Wilson said, “Mitchell Kurtz brings vision, aesthetic excellence and impeccable theater building design credentials to Hartford Stage, and we are fortunate to have him as our project architect. His roster of successful assignments, coupled with his intimate knowledge of Hartford Stage, makes him and his team the ideal choice for this exciting project.”
“Mitchell’s intimate knowledge of the Hartford Stage theatre facility, along with his inspiring, creative and cost efficient designs of several flagship Off-Broadway theatres in New York make him the ideal architect for our project” said Michael Stotts. “We have to work within the confines of a parking structure that will pose many unique challenges as we look to expand the footprint of our building. This is not unlike designing or reconfiguring theatre spaces within severely constricted spaces on 42nd Street or in Greenwich Village.”
Mitchell Kurtz Architect, PC specializes in performing arts facilities and has a long history of involvement with Hartford Stage. The firm has designed numerous professional theaters in New York City including Playwrights Horizons, New York Theatre Workshop, Signature Theatre, and the Cherry Lane Theatre. The firm is presently at work on renovations to Lincoln Center’s Guggenheim Bandshell, a new theater facility for the Alliance of Resident Theaters/New York, and on a new scenery and costume shop for New York Theatre Workshop.
The firm has considerable experience with historic preservation. Their design for the Chataqua Institution’s Bratton Theatre is a notable example that garnered them the AIA Design Award for Adaptive Re-Use/Historic Preservation in 2001.
Mitchell Kurtz worked at Hartford Stage as a National Endowment for the Arts/Theater Communications Guild fellow in 1978. His firm subsequently worked on alteration projects at Hartford Stage in 1995 and 2002, including new lighting, sound and rigging systems for the theater, as well as an upgrade to the building’s power systems. In 2002, he designed new safety handrails, aisle lighting, and seat and section numbering systems.
Mr. Kurtz has a background in professional theater production and has taught theatre design and production at the Yale School of Drama and at Princeton University.
Mr. Kurtz says of the project, “Hartford Stage is bursting with ideas that will energize their theatrical offerings and community involvement. We hope to further open the building to the community and to express that energy in architectural form. The renovated and updated facility will offer new amenities and services to the public throughout the day and provide new production support to further the reach and quality of its theatrical offerings.”
The Architect Selection Committee included Bruce Simons (Chair), Bonnie Bercowetz, David Carson, Laura Estes, Walter Harrison, Michael Nicastro, Chrissie Ripple, Mike Stotts, Deb Vandergrift and Michael Wilson.