Barrington Stage Opens Headquarters on North Street
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Barrington Stage Company is moving its headquarters into the newly opened Wolfson Theater Center at 122 North St.
The company's Artistic Director Julianne Boyd and Managing Director Tristan Wilson made the announcement on Tuesday morning in the new space in the 1884 England Building. The 28,000-square-foot building will be the company's main headquarters and will house its administrative offices, which will all be under one roof for the first time since the company moved to Pittsfield.
The center has been made possible through a generous gift from Jessie and Bernard Wolfson of Miami. The longtime Floridians have contributed to and participated in benefits to the arts, theaters, hospitals and religious organizations through their family foundation.
Renovations on the building are set to begin in August, with the administrative offices to relocate in November. The current office space, known as Octagon House, 58 Union St., will be converted into company housing. A.J. Schnopp Jr. Construction Inc. of Dalton will be the general contractor.
The offices will accommodate 20 year-round staff members, as well as an additional 40 staff members during the season. The facility will also contain two large rehearsal studios; classrooms for the Playwright Mentoring Project, KidsAct! and the Musical Theater Conservatory; a costume shop, including storage of the large costume inventory amassed in BSC's 22-year history; a year-round box office; and an additional reception area for staged readings and other public events. The scene shop will still be located on 4th Street.
The building contained a hardware store, millinery, and crockery on the first floor, with offices and a meeting hall above in 1889. The addition on the eastern side of the building was added between 1895 and 1900. Similar retail and office uses of the building continued through at least 1950. By 1956, the building site was reconfigured and occupied by a department store. It last housed BBE Office Interiors that moved to 1595 East St.
"I am absolutely thrilled to know that Barrington Stage Company will be expanding its footprint through the purchase of the 122 North St. building in downtown Pittsfield," said Mayor Linda Tyer in a statement. "We are privileged to live in a city where the arts flourish continuously throughout the year. Cultural institutions like Barrington Stage present high-quality theater productions and are equally committed to inspiring a love of the arts in our youth through dynamic community programming. I am excited about the many opportunities for creative engagement that this additional location will provide for our city, Berkshire County and beyond."
Barrington Stage purchased and renovated the Berkshire Music Hall — now the Boyd-Quinson Mainstage on Union Street — a decade ago and the VFW on Linden Street, which now houses the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Center for the Performing Arts, home of the St. Germain Stage and Mr. Finn's Cabaret. The "campus" (extending from Fenn Street to Maplewood) will now be complete with the Wolfson Theater Center, a multiuse complex that will serve Barrington Stage's many programs.
The first production to make use of the new rehearsal space will be the world premiere of Jonathan Larson Award-winning composer Joe Iconis' "Broadway Bounty Hunter," starring Annie Golden and Jeff McCarthy. Rehearsals begin Tuesday, with previews starting Aug. 12. Opening night is set for Aug. 19 for a limited run through Sept. 4. Performance schedules for all productions are available by visiting www.barringtonstageco.org.
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