自然と人間の創造性をつなぐ木造劇場

アメリカのジェイコブズ・ピローに誕生した、ダンスとテクノロジーの融合を目指す〈ドリス・デューク・シアター〉

CULTURE 2025.08.02

〈ドリス・デューク・シアター（Doris Duke Theatre）〉設計：メカノー（Mecanoo）

アメリカのマサチューセッツ州に建つ〈ドリス・デューク・シアター（Doris Duke Theatre）〉は、約100年にわたりアメリカのダンス界の拠点であり続けてきた「ジェイコブズ・ピロー（Jacob’s Pillow）」に誕生した木造劇場です。

1984年にオランダ・デルフトで設立された専門家集団メカノー（Mecanoo）が設計しました。

注目ポイント

火事で焼失した旧劇場の再構築プロジェクト

開放的で没入感のある木造空間

ダンスとテクノロジーの融合を目指す創造空間として設計

自然と人間の創造性をつなぐ表現の場としての建築

（以下、ジェイコブズ・ピローから提供されたプレスキットのテキストの抄訳）

ジェイコブズ・ピローに誕生する新たな創造拠点

約100年にわたり、アメリカのダンス界の拠点であり続けてきたジェイコブズ・ピローに、再構築された〈ドリス・デューク・シアター〉が2025年夏に開館した。火災によって失われた旧施設に代わり、新たな劇場はダンスとテクノロジーの融合を目指す創造空間として構想された。

ジェイコブズ・ピローのキャンパスには、ダンス創作と上演の多様性を体現する3つのパフォーマンスステージが存在する。

1942年に建設されたアメリカ初のダンス専用シアターに設計された〈テッド・ショーン・シアター（Ted Shawn Theatre）〉、バークシャー山脈を望む1981年建設の野外会場〈ヘンリー・J・ライアール・ステージ（Henry J. Leir Stage）〉、そして1990年に開館し、実験的な表現を支援してきた〈ドリス・デューク・シアター〉である。〈ドリス・デューク・シアター〉は2020年11月の火災を受けたため、再建計画が始動した。

新劇場の設計思想と機能

新たな〈ドリス・デューク・シアター〉の設計は、オランダの建築事務所メカノーが担当し、アメリカの建築事務所マーベル（Marvel）がローカルパートナーとして参画した。劇場は、自然環境と調和しつつも、年間を通じた利用に対応する開放的で没入感のある空間を提供する。

本施設は、旧劇場が有していた親密さを維持しながらも、ストリーミング、モーションキャプチャー、AIプログラミング、没入型デジタルアートといった最先端技術を取り入れる創作基盤を備えている。新興アーティストと熟練のアーティストが物理的・仮想的観客の双方に向けて革新的な作品を発表できる環境が整えられている。

劇場の構成と特徴

再設計された劇場の延床面積は約20,000平方フィート（約1,850m²）であり、旧施設（約8,500平方フィート）から大幅に拡張された。柔軟な用途と構成を備え、パフォーマンス、イベント、滞在プログラムなどを同時に支援することが可能である。座席数は220〜400席で、舞台構成に応じて多様に対応できる。

建物はスライド式ドアを備えた2つのロビーを有している。西側のジェームソン・ファミリー・ロビーは来訪者を迎え入れ、トークイベントや展示の場を提供する。東側のフォレスト・スタジオはアーティストのウォームアップや会議・レセプションに対応する。

建物全体には、多数の窓や天窓（暗転可能）を設け、自然光と周囲の風景を内部空間と結びつけている。将来的には緑化屋根からの雨水をトイレの洗浄や灌漑に利用するシステムの導入も視野に入れている。

最先端の舞台表現を可能にする劇場設備

チャコールブルー（Charcoalblue）が手がけた劇場インフラには、高速パフォーマンスネットワーク、ステージ管理・音響の柔軟なゾーン、ライブストリーミング用のビデオルームなどが含まれる。LEDを基準とした照明設備や音響強化も行われており、白熱灯の追加も可能である。

また、デジタル空間音響システム、パフォーマーの赤外線カメラによるトラッキング、記録映像とのインタラクションなどを通じ、先端技術を駆使した舞台表現を可能とする。建物間の有線接続により、複数の会場で同時撮影されたパフォーマンスを用いたリアルタイムなコラボレーションも実現している。

自然と共生するランドスケープデザイン

マーベルが手がけたランドスケープデザインは、バークシャー地方の自然環境に調和し、パフォーミングアーツと自然のつながりを強調する。西側には地元産の石を用いた「スクランブル」に囲まれた広場を配置し、東側には先住民アーティストとの協働による集いの庭と焚火場が設けられた。

メカノーが掲げる設計哲学

「人・場所・目的・詩」という哲学に基づき設計されたこの劇場は、ダンスの本質を捉える建築である。建築は単なる舞台ではなく、自然と人間の創造性をつなぐ表現の場として機能する。

先住民の思想を反映した層状の構造、四方位への敬意、そして自然との視覚的・触覚的・精神的つながりが、劇場のあらゆる設計に貫かれている。柔らかく彫刻的なファサード、可変式の壁面や開放的なベランダなどが、空間の流動性を強調する。

外装には熱処理された松材を用い、季節や時間の経過に応じて風化し、美しく変化する。自然素材が語る光と影、時間と変化の物語を通じて、この劇場は自然の舞踏を記録する器として存在している。

Site Plan

Cellar Floor Plan

1st Floor Plan

Mezzanine Floor Plan

2nd Floor Plan

Roof Plan

North and West Elevations

South and East Elevations

Sections

以下、ジェイコブズ・ピローのリリース（英文）です。

JACOB’S PILLOW: DORIS DUKE THEATRE

The New Doris Duke Theatre: Architectural Information
Project Overview

For nearly 100 years Jacob’s Pillow has been the home of dance in America. In summer 2025, it opens the new and reimagined Doris Duke Theatre—a bold and flexible new creative space for dance.

Jacob’s Pillow’s commitment to the full range of dance creation and presentation genres is reflected in the three performance stages on its campus: The historic Ted Shawn Theatre, the first proscenium stage designed and created specifically for dance in the USA in 1942; the Henry J. Leir Stage, an outdoor venue overlooking the Berkshire mountains and originally constructed in 1981; and the Doris Duke Theatre, which originally opened in 1990 and was designed to support intimate works and experimentation. The redevelopment of the theater follows the loss of the original building to fire in November 2020.

Designed by internationally acclaimed Dutch architecture firm Mecanoo, the new Doris Duke Theatre provides an immersive venue that supports year-round needs, while retaining an open and porous feeling that is engaged and deeply connected to the natural world around it. The design aims to maintain the intimacy of the former studio theater, while at the same time providing a makerspace with a technological foundation, enabling emerging and seasoned artists to develop groundbreaking works at the intersection of dance and technology. From streaming to motion- capture, coding with AI in robotics to immersive digital art, the Doris Duke Theatre brings physical and virtual audiences together in a rich, creative space dedicated to the dance of tomorrow.

Netherlands-based architecture firm Mecanoo, led by their renowned Creative Director and Founding Partner Francine Houben, has served as the lead architect for the new building project, in partnership with U.S.-based architecture firm Marvel as the local architect and landscape architect. Charcoalblue has consulted on theater and acoustic design for the project. Jeffrey Gibson, Choctaw/Cherokee, has served as a consultant on the building’s relationship to the site and Indigenous values, a key element of the building’s design.

Project Timeline
Nov 2020: Fire destroys original Doris Duke Theatre
2021: Design team appointed for new building project
2022-2023: Project design
Nov 2023: Groundbreaking
2023-2025: Project realization
2025: Public opening

Project Cost & Funding

The total project cost for the Doris Duke Theatre is $30 million and is supported by a coalition of donors and foundations. An endowment of at least $5 million is also being raised to help support the digital integration of the new Doris Duke Theatre and provide support to the artists who will make their work in Pillow Lab residencies in the future.

Lead support for Doris Duke Theatre is provided by the Doris Duke Foundation.

Additional major support for the Doris Duke Theatre is provided by the Arison Arts Foundation, Barr Foundation, Barbara and Amos Hostetter,the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund, a program of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, administered through a collaborative arrangement between MassDevelopment and the Mass Cultural Council, Mass Leads: An Act Relative to Strengthening Massachusetts’ Economic Leadership, and funded in part by the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism.

Project Description

The reimagined Doris Duke Theatre is approximately 20,000 sq. ft., compared with the former Duke’s roughly 8,500 sq. ft. footprint. The design allows for multi-use flexibility, so that the building can support performances, events, residencies, and more, sometimes simultaneously. The flexible seating configurations can accommodate 220 – 400 depending on the size of the performance space, with an array of seating and stage configurations.

The building features two lobbies with sliding doors, which create multiple entrances and exits to the building. The Jameson Family Lobby on the west side of the building serves to welcome visitors in from a spacious artist quadrangle, and also provides a covered and ventilated space for pre-show talks alongside a new exhibition space. The Forest Studio on the east side of the building serves as a warm-up and rehearsal space for artists, and can also host receptions and meetings as needed. The building can also accommodate a future rainwater collection tank from the extensive green rooftops for flushing toilets and irrigation. This embrace of the site and nature, balanced with a need to push the boundaries of dance, embodies the ambition for the theater and captures the magic of performing at Jacob’s Pillow.

Ground-breaking theater technology consultant Charcoalblue has designed the space to house today’s most advanced technology while remaining agile enough to integrate emerging technologies developed in the future.

The robust infrastructure of the theater includes high-speed performance networks, as well as flexible locations for stage management and sound, and a dedicated video room for documentation and livestreams. The theater also has improved lighting and audio capabilities, with an efficient LED stage lighting system as the baseline, and with the ability to add incandescent fixtures. Many windows and skylights (with darkening capabilities) throughout the building connect the theater with the surrounding campus and landscape.

The building’s infrastructure supports technological capabilities including the use of a digital spatial audio system with live tracking of dancers correlated to moving sound images, infrared camera tracking of performers for interactive video content, and live dance performance interaction with recorded/projected dance content. Hard-wired connectivity between buildings enables real time collaboration across Pillow venues using simultaneous filmed performances.

Landscape Architecture

Inspired by the region’s natural beauty, the new Doris Duke Theatre’s landscape architecture plan designed by Marvel harmonizes with its surroundings, reflecting the rich local ecology of the Berkshires. This design not only nurtures a deep connection between the performing arts and nature, but also honors the area’s Indigenous history. To the west of the Theatre, the landscape design will create a central quad, framed by a sculptural “scramble” made from locally sourced stone to welcome dancers and visitors and provide spaces for lounging, rehearsal, and celebration. To the east, landscapes designed in collaboration with Indigenous artists celebrate Indigenous knowledge, with a gathering garden and a communal fire pit that reflect the land’s cultural traditions and recognize the original inhabitants that inform Jacob’s Pillow and its quintessential identity.

Landscape architecture firm Marvel has collaborated with Indigenous artists to incorporate traditional aspects into the site design, emphasizing Indigenous ways of engaging with their environment and culture. The Garden, collaboratively designed by Misty Cook and Kathi Arnold, is inspired by the Medicine Wheel and Many Trails Symbol, which represents unity amongst all, strength, and endurance of the Stockbridge-Munsee people. This area is surrounded by native plants with medicinal qualities, and guides access along the eastern and southern paths. Andre Strongbearheart Gaines Jr., a Nipmuc citizen, has led the design for the Fire Pit, which serves as a gathering place to reflect, heal, and celebrate. With seven stone steps connecting it to the Garden, it is part of the visitor’s experience as they navigate to the re-imagined Doris Duke Theatre.

Design Team and Consultants
Design Team: Mecanoo (Lead Architect), Marvel (U.S.-Based Architect)
Landscape Architect: Marvel
Theatre & Acoustic Consultant: Charcoalblue, New York
Structural Engineer: TYLin, Boston
MEP, IT, Security: Altieri, Boston
Lighting Consultant: Fischer Marantz Stone, New York
Code Consulting: CCI, New York
Civil Engineering: Foresight Land Services, Pittsfield
Indigenous Consultation: Jeffrey Gibson and Heather Breugl
Planning partner & construction manager: Allegrone Companies, Lenox

Mecanoo: Architectural Statement

At the heart of the new Doris Duke Theatre lies a celebration of movement, space, and connection. Inspired by Mecanoo’s core values of “people, place, purpose, and poetry,” the new theater captures the essence of dance, not only as an art form but as a deeply human experience intertwined with the landscape and community. Here, architecture becomes a partner in performance—a stage for expression where boundaries blur between the natural world and human creativity, offering a dynamic, living space that evolves with every step.

Rooted in the rolling hills of the Berkshires, the theater honors the rich heritage of Jacob’s Pillow while pushing the frontiers of the performing arts. Indigenous principles shape the orientation and form, grounding the design in an acknowledgment of the four directions, where North, South, East, and West hold deep meaning in Indigenous cultures. The organic, layered structure, divided into seven bands, honors the Indigenous philosophy of the “seven generations,” where environmental consciousness plays a crucial role in shaping the world for generations to come.

The design draws on the rhythms of nature, mirroring the fluidity and grace of dancers. Every element is crafted toward movement and transition—from the soft, sculptural forms that echo the land to the open, permeable spaces that invite light, air, and sound to flow effortlessly between interior and exterior. The building becomes a dance of its own, constantly shifting and adapting, much like the art it houses. The theater’s flexible performance space embraces this ethos, offering configurations that adapt to a wide range of performances, creating spaces for both intimate gatherings and expansive digital presentations. The connection to the landscape is more than just visual—it is tactile, spiritual, and ecological.

Pathways weave through the campus, drawing visitors from the Artist Quad and studios into the heart of the theater. The performance space, with its green roof, steps gently into the landscape. The open-covered veranda, retractable walls, and glazing blur the lines between indoors and outdoors, creating a seamless transition that evokes the feeling of movement in space—light shifting across the timber facade, shadows dancing with the sun.

In keeping with Jacob’s Pillow vernacular, the theater’s mass timber structure is clad in thermally treated pine, designed to weather gracefully over time. The building transforms with the seasons, its natural materials telling a story of light and shadow, time, and change—an organic register of the dance of nature. Rainwater can be collected for future reuse, and the generous veranda provides natural shading, a quiet gesture of harmony between sustainability and design. Through its form, function, and connection to the land, the new Doris Duke Theatre embodies the poetry of place—an enduring testament to the power of dance, nature, and human creativity intertwined.

メカノー公式サイト
https://www.mecanoo.nl/Projects/project/309/Jacob-s-Pillow-Doris-Duke-Theatre?d=0&t=0

自然と人間の創造性をつなぐ木造劇場