Marvel and Mecanoo give a storied dance theater in the Berkshires a second life.
By Jane Margolies
A rendering of the artist?s quad for what was once an informal gathering place. Courtesy Marvel and Mecanoo.
When a fire destroyed the Doris Duke Theatre on the campus of Jacob?s Pillow in 2020, it was an enormous blow to the renowned dance venue in Becket, Massachusetts, and, more broadly, the international dance community. The Duke, as it was commonly known, had been a beloved part of the rustic 220-acre campus in the Berkshires, in a barnlike building where experimental works were incubated and performed and legendary artists got their start.
The only way to rise above this ?crushing tragedy,? says Pamela Tatge, the Pillow?s executive and artistic director, was to view it as an opportunity to improve upon the Duke, which was built in 1989 and lacked the technological capabilities of newer theaters. A replacement could be designed to accommodate all kinds of performances and be outfitted with the latest technology. But the new theater would have to fit into its surroundings?Jacob?s Pillow is a National Historic Landmark?and, Pillow leadership felt, it would also have to pay respect to the Mohican peoples who originally occupied the land, as well as other tribes that made their home in the region. The plan that has emerged?produced by a team that includes the Dutch architecture firm Mecanoo as the design architect for the building, New York-based Marvel as the architect of re...