“We’re inviting Worcester to come and take advantage of this building,” Rougeau says. The college puts on at least one musical per semester, and officials are quick to point out that the Prior is conceived as a resource for its host city. The scene shop in particular offers a fascinating glimpse into back-of-house preparations for performances. Both spaces are put “on display” in the Beehive via glass partitions. It is very flexible.” Extending in the other two directions are the Booth Media Lab, a place to learn sound recording and other audio skills, and a full scene shop. IMAGE COURTESY BRETT BEYERĭirectly across from the Beehive is the black box Boroughs Theater, which the architect describes as “completely transformable. Performance inside the Luth Concert Hall. Its side walls feature concrete diffusion panels that resemble grey curtains but are rigid to the touch. The hall is paneled in warm sustainably harvested Makore wood. Jaffe Holden was the acoustics consultant. “Its acoustics can match the best halls in Europe,” he boasts. Concert Hall, with a full fly tower so it can host opera if necessary, Renfro says. The building, accommodating both the performing and the visual arts features the 400-seat Anna M. They can pass through it going from the student center to the athletic complex on the other side.” And the Beehive is completely open to all students, whether they have classes in Prior or not. “The idea is that the front-of-house and back-of-house spaces energize each other. “It’s like a courtyard but conceived for Massachusetts winters,” says Charles Renfro, partner in charge of the project for DS+R.

Boston opera house seat view