The
Harlem School of Arts entrance faces the sidewalk with a modest, almost
surreptitious façade. Yet upon entry,
one immediately comes into contact with a light filled atrium, sourced from an
inner courtyard, abutted by a large cliff-like expanse of exposed bedrock that
runs for several blocks.
This
theatre addition aims to continue that duality of experience of site and space.
A
black box theatre necessitates darkness, and the existing site’s playful
relationship with grade and exposed nature inspired a submersion of the main theatre
form: a ‘natural’ inclination, implanted deep into the site, suspended and
submerged underground. For contrast and complement,
another theatre proposed in the rear of the site, at grade, exterior, with amphitheater
seating carved into the existing bedrock and a makeshift stage.
Together,
these two theatres offer polar spaces for experimentation in performance and experience
for both viewer and entertainer. Both
light and dark theatres are linked by a snaking processional pathway that
maintains the importance of threshold and arrival so integral to spaces of
theatre.
A glass ceiling above, and
narrow double-height walls create almost a cavernous affect.
To the black box, an elliptical descent
brings visitors down slowly into the depths of the space, a growing sense of
weight and reverence.
To the amphitheater,
a slight ascent brings visitors along a pathway slowly lit by exterior sun and
an expansive glass ceiling, presenting at the end the rocky outcropped
courtyard, light and expansive.
