The Atlantic Theater Company sought Coburn Architecture's expertise in designing a new performance space on Manhattan's West 16th Street. Intended for use as a second stage for student productions, the building houses additional rehearsal spaces available for rental to outside companies.
Located in a sub sub-basement sixty to seventy feet below street level, the 99-seat theater is encased in concrete block, which provides full acoustic isolation, preventing outside noise from seeping into the performance space and vice versa.
A grid was installed below the 24-foot ceiling to accommodate elaborate lighting systems and the technicians who operate them.
An existing loading dock and freight elevator, vestiges of the building's Port Authority history, were converted into a lofty lobby and large lift that transports theater-goers down to the performance space below.