Art Imitates Life: Inside AD's Rehearsal Building 改造

许多人在办公室 建筑设计公司.， AIA | AD Build LLC have a love of theatre as well as a passion for fine homes. Those two worlds merged when the 角 Cod residential and commercial design and design/build firm refashioned a Saltbox home donated by Yoshio Inomata into a striking, 多功能排练空间 元素剧团 on the grounds of the Community of Jesus in Orleans. 

This project, truly a labor of love, was a joint effort—nearly everyone at 建筑设计公司.， AIA | AD Build LLC dedicated their time and expertise on both the architectural and construction sides of the business. 彼得·黑格校长, who is also an actor for 元素剧团, 捐赠了他的建筑服务, Peter Shannon served as project superintendent, administrative and marketing assistant Ellen Ortolani performed the role of schedule administrator, principal John Ingwersen provided the lighting and electrical design and spec work, Brad Lussier and Dave Bushnell applied their talents in construction. 

盖尔·吉布森, development assistant for 元素剧团 and the larger nonprofit Arts Empowering Life, shares that a greater community was also involved; the project received a generous number of in-kind donations and discounts—75 in total. Many came from 角 Cod businesses with whom AD has a long-standing relationship, firms like Shepley木 在海恩尼斯, 中开普家庭中心, 杰克景观, also includes companies in other states, such as Hinkley 照明 in Cleveland, Ohio. 

黑格与丹妮尔·德怀尔修女合作, Artistic Director and a founding member of 元素剧团, the two created a highly functional and flexible construct with an aesthetic akin to the neighboring Chapter House structure. “The goal was to be the younger brother to the Chapter House next door,黑格解释道。, with a complementary use of wood and color and a similar rhythm to the elements. “It had to be outward-looking, but still provide an incubator for creativity within.”

Inside, the building pays respect to donor Yoshio Inomata, himself a champion of the arts. It incorporates features that evoke a Japanese influence, 从色调的选择到设计的细节, like handcrafted Shoji screens and flooring that incorporates a white birch tree that was beloved by Inomata into an organic mosaic pattern.  

然而在它的美丽之外, it was key that the rehearsal building was designed by actors, 股票吉布森, because “they know what they need and what works.自建成以来, the rehearsal space has been put to good use—by many in the AD office—in preparation for Lionel Bart’s 奥利弗!, which premieres tonight at Paraclete House in Rock Harbor, runs through August 25. The space has been a gift for those in the musical, who can meet and rehearse in groups large and small. Both floors have been bustling with activity this summer, 吉布森说, as the performers hone their craft before moving over to the main stage. 

As with the renovation, nearly everybody at 建筑设计公司., AD Build LLC is involved in the production of 奥利弗! 在某种程度上. “如果他们不在舞台上, 他们是幕后黑手,吉布森说。, who herself moonlights as the company’s costume fabricator, 经常被发现在她的缝纫机后面.

是否代理, 像黑格, 谁扮演费金(上图), 在新场地排练), 或者Ellen Ortolani, who has dual roles; doing the lighting, cue principal John Ingwerson; or building the sets (even the interns were involved), t在这里 is passion for every facet of this project and for what it represents. “We’re very proud of it,” underscores Haig, “and of what it has built within us as a company.”

Images of completed rehearsal building and interiors by Keitaro Yoshioka