THE REIMAGINED DORIS DUKE THEATRE TAKES FLIGHT
A Building That Dances
THE REIMAGINED DORIS DUKE THEATRE TAKES FLIGHT
B y S c o t t E d w a r d A n d e r s o n P h o t o s B y G r e g o r y C h e r i n
In the heart of the Berkshires, where dance and nature intertwine, Jacob’ s Pillow is reimagining the Doris Duke Theatre— not just as a building, but as a bold statement of what the future of dance can be. Rising from the ashes of a November 2020 fire, the new theater promises to honor its past as a cherished stage and a vital part of American dance history, while embracing cutting-edge technology and Indigenous values, to create a space where
72 // BERKSHIRE MAGAZINE July 2025 movement, creativity, and connection thrive year-round.
For Executive & Artistic Director Pamela Tatge and her team, the loss of the theater in the blaze was devastating, but also galvanizing.“ From the beginning,” Tatge says,“ we knew this could be more than a reconstruction. It could be a reimagining.”
From that vision emerged a radical idea: not to replicate the old theater, but to build a space that could exist nowhere else but here; a space shaped by its surroundings, its history, and the many communities and their own histories that intersect on this land, as well as its future.
Set to open with a community celebration on July 6, the new Doris Duke Theatre is twice the size of the original, measuring roughly 20,000 square feet. But as I discovered during a recent press tour, the numbers hardly capture the essence of this remarkable space.