$58 million Shakespeare project nearly funded
In the uncertain summer of 2021, four people stood at the 11th hole of a shuttered golf course, huddled around a spiral binder.
The pandemic was nudging the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, which had operated for more than 30 years in a seasonal tent at Boscobel in Philipstown, to the brink of disaster. But even with the financial uncertainty, the group envisioned the closed course not only as a year-round home but the site of the most environmentally friendly theater in the country.
One of the four people was Kathy Hochul, then lieutenant governor. She didn’t need much convincing. “She got it immediately,” recalled Davis McCallum, HVSF’s artistic director, who was also there. “She understood the transformational power of art and its importance to communities like ours in the Hudson Valley.”
Hochul returned to the spot on Wednesday (Sept. 25) as governor to break ground on what will be called the Samuel H. Scripps Theater Center. Named after the former lighting designer who became a renowned patron of the performing arts, the building will be the first permanent home of the 37-year-old festival when it opens before the 2026 season.
“We’re going to keep doubling down on arts and culture,” said Hochul. “There’s a ripple effect. A dollar spent here means multiples that help the local economy and the charming downtowns. The cutest downtowns in all of New York are right alongside this river.”
The governor noted that last year a record 306 million tourists came to New York and spent $88 billion — including $5 billion in the Hudson Valley.
The project will cost $58 million, $50 million of which has already been raised through public and private funding. The funds cover the construction of the theater, the ecological restoration of the site, and financial reserves to weather future unexpected events. The remaining $8 million is needed, HVSF said, to construct seasonal on-site housing for performers. Actors currently live during the summer in a Fishkill hotel.
“The annual expense to the theater of putting up our actors in that lodging and transporting back and forth is one of the single largest items in our budget,” said board member Frederic Rich.
As part of the project, the monoculture of grass on the theater site will be replaced with a mix of native species and wildflowers. The theater, designed by Studio Gang, will be the first purpose-built theater in the nation rated LEED Platinum, the highest rating for sustainable design. It will have solar panels, a green roof, natural ventilation and rainwater-capture systems.
“This theater is going to be more than just a destination,” said Studio Gang founder Jeanne Gang. “It’s going to be a model for how cultural and performing arts spaces can help us work toward a better and more sustainable future.”
