$500,000 Earmark from Sen. Reed to Help Set the Stage for Trinity Rep’s Historic Restoration & Renovation Plans
PROVIDENCE, RI – On Monday, November 28 at 11:00 a.m., U.S. Senator Jack Reed will join Trinity Rep’s Executive Director Kate Liberman and Artistic Director Curt Columbus to ‘raise the curtain’ on upcoming exterior renovations to the landmark Lederer Theater Center. Constructed in the Beaux Arts style, the building first opened in 1917 as a vaudeville playhouse known as Emery’s Majestic Theatre before changing over to a movie theater in 1923. Trinity Rep acquired the building in 1971 and built out two performance spaces, offices, production shops, rehearsal halls and studios. The Lederer Theater Center was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and Trinity Rep began welcoming audiences to the Lederer Theater Center in 1973.
As Trinity Rep gears up for a renovation and expansion to the Lederer Theater Center, a new $500,000 federal earmark from U.S. Senator Jack Reed will allow for the historic restoration of the building’s terra cotta façade. Strategic planning to renovate the space launched in 2017, with the goal of ensuring improved, accessible, and welcoming experiences for all audiences, artists, staff, and students. The improvements will allow the Tony Award-winning Trinity Rep to preserve its landmark building, beautify and revitalize downtown Providence while offering enhanced artistic quality work, improve physical accessibility, unlock underutilized community and educational space, and welcome a wider audience.
Senator Reed, a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, secured the federal funding in the fiscal year 2022 appropriations law.
Founded in 1963, Trinity Rep has grown to become one of Rhode Island’s largest arts organizations and has a significant impact on the community, serving as a linchpin of Providence’s arts and entertainment district. The theater generates more than $13 million in economic activity annually. Trinity Rep’s educational initiatives continue to provide instruction and enrichment to people of all ages and abilities, and the Project Discovery program introduces over 16,000 youths each year to live theater. The tuition-free Brown/Trinity Rep MFA program has become a leader in graduate training for actors and directors by offering in-depth training in conjunction with a professional theater, and is widely regarded as one of the best in the country.
Trinity Rep also operates the Pell Chafee Performance Center, located nearby at 87 Empire Street, which is home to Brown/Trinity Rep MFA performances and education programs.
