In October 2004‚ the Huntington expanded its operations to include the new Stanford Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts. In fall 2000‚ the Huntington and the Boston Center for the Arts (BCA) entered into a partnership to build‚ manage‚ and program two new theatres in the South End – the first new theatres built in Boston in more than 75 years. The Calderwood Pavilion – housing the 360–seat Virginia Wimberly Theatre and the 200–seat Nancy and Edward Roberts Studio Theatre – is managed by the Huntington and programmed jointly with the BCA. In addition to providing a second stage for the Huntington‚ the new theatres also host a range of performances by smaller arts organizations. The Calderwood Pavilion serves as a theatre hub and a cultural landmark for the City of Boston. It provides a home for artistic collaborations; fosters the development of new plays; helps build and diversify audiences; creates more opportunities for youth and community outreach; and expands the existing BCA complex to include more performance venues for Boston’s smaller arts organizations.
The Calderwood Pavilion was designed by Boston–based architects for the arts Wilson Butler Lodge Inc.‚ working with theatre consultants Fisher Dachs Associates and acoustical consultants Acentech. It is a 35‚000 square feet complex with a three–story interior space‚ which includes two theatres‚ rehearsal rooms‚ and backstage facilities.
The Virginia Wimberly Theatre
The Virginia Wimberly Theatre is a 360–seat brand new state–of–the–art proscenium theatre. With luxurious seating split between an orchestra and mezzanine‚ each seat in the theatre ensures an intimate and comfortable theatregoing experience. The Wimberly Theatre has eight wheel chair seats – four in the orchestra and four in the mezzanine – with elevator access to the mezzanine. The theatre is named in honor of the wife of the Huntington’s Chairman of the Board J. David Wimberly‚ who joined the Board in 1993 and has served as its Chair since 1996.
» Virginia Wimberly Theatre Seating Chart (pdf)
The Nancy and Edward Roberts Studio Theatre
The Nancy and Edward Roberts Theatre is a flexible space theatre that accommodates between 157 and 235 patrons‚ depending on the seating configurations. The Roberts has up to four wheelchair seats‚ depending on configuration. The studio theatre is named in honor of long time Huntington donors and subscribers Nancy and Edward Roberts.