Worcester Academy Performance Center

Madigan was selected by Worcester Academy, a co-ed day and boarding school for grades 6 through postgraduate, to renovate a recently acquired structure into their new Performance Center. The main theater on the campus is the Greco-Roman style Warner Theater, a gift of Harry Warner (of Warner Bros.). As the next theater to be built on campus, the Performance Center certainly needed to meet high standards. While not a Construction Management project, we were brought on board the team early in the process so were able to participate in preconstruction activities. When a previous owner of the property delayed the closing of the real estate transaction, we revisited the schedule, procured long-lead items, and performed a value engineering review, all to ensure that the school was able to occupy the facility at the earliest time, and to ensure the best value of the final product.

The completed project includes a “black box” theater space with flexible/modular seating and stage areas, a state-of-the-art A/V control center, and will serve not only as a performance venue the students, but also as a site of several Board and fundraising events. A key component of the facility is the front façade which contains three large custom-made overhead doors which can be opened for pavilion viewing of nighttime performances and provide a gathering space in the warmer weather.

Highlights

• State of the art A/V control center
• Modular seating and stage areas
• Custom overhead doors for pavilion viewing
• Overall size of project: 4,300 sf