Historic Theater in the Berkshires Receives $10 Million Grant to Rebuild
The rich history of the Berkshires in western Massachusetts certainly includes the performing arts. An important hub for this in the Berkshires and throughout all of Massachusetts, and New England for that matter, is at Jacob's Pillow. A couple years ago, a fire happened at a prestigious theater at Jacob's Pillow. But now, a recent grant has been awarded that will help to rebuild this historic theater and the community and surrounding region is thrilled!
Jacob's Pillow, also called 'The Pillow', is one of the most prestigious dance schools in the U.S., and has been touted as a 'hub of mecca and dancing' by 'Time Magazine', 'the dance center of the nation' by the 'New York Times', and 'one of America's most precious cultural assets' by the legendary Mikhail Baryshnikov. It happens to reside in Becket, MA as part of the Berkshires.
Unfortunately, in November 2020, a fire broke out inside the Doris Duke Theater, which is one of three primary performance venues on the 220-acre campus. There was no one injured from the fired. There were also no other facilities on the campus affected by the fire. However, the theater had been deemed unusable.
But just yesterday (November 17th), the global dance center announced that is has received a $10 million grant thanks to the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. Jacob's Pillow took to social media to make the announcement:
The president and CEO of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation had this to say in a statement:
Jacob’s Pillow has been an indispensable global leader and innovator in dance for nearly 100 years. A new, world class, digitally driven Doris Duke Theatre will ensure Jacob’s Pillow stays at the cutting-edge in the decades to come.
Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren was elated with the news as she showed on Twitter:
As mentioned in their initial announcement of the project, they hope to have the new rebuild finished by 2025, as the newly rebuilt Doris Duke Theater would once again complement the mainstage of Ted Shawn Theatre at Jacob's Pillow.
The rebuild for this historic landmark in the Berkshires is happening!