Hudson Valley Shakespeare Breaks Ground on New Home: The Samuel H. Scripps Theater Center

Hudson Valley Shakespeare welcomed New York Governor Kathy Hochul and other community leaders to a groundbreaking ceremony for its new home in Garrison, NY, which has been named the Samuel H. Scripps Theater Center.
 
Located in Garrison, NY, the 14,850 square foot venue design will serve as a permanent home for Hudson Valley Shakespeare, the beloved Hudson Valley theater company known for its sweeping open-air productions of classics and new works set against the backdrop of the Hudson River and the surrounding landscape of the 98-acre campus. Designed by architecture and urban design practice Studio Gang, the structure will be the first public purpose-built LEED Platinum theater in the United States, and is the centerpiece of a comprehensive design with extensive green space and rewilding across the campus, led by Nelson Byrd Woltz, embodying Hudson Valley Shakespeare’s commitment to sustainability and responsible stewardship of the land conveyed to the company by philanthropist and longtime conservationist and advocate for the Hudson Valley, Christopher Davis. Consigli Construction Co., Inc. will serve as the Construction Manager for this project.
 
Hudson Valley Shakespeare Artistic Director Davis McCallum, Managing Director Kendra Ekelund, Members of the Board of Directors, and staff were joined today by New York State Governor Kathy Hochul, State Assemblywoman Dana Levenberg, Putnam County Legislator Nancy Montgomery, Philipstown Supervisor John Van Tassel, Cold Spring Mayor Kathleen Foley, architect Jeanne Gang, members of the theater’s extended community of artists, and donor Christopher Davis to celebrate this milestone, which featured a performance from HVS artists, speeches, and a ceremonial shoveling of the dirt on the ridge where the theater will be built, overlooking the Hudson River.

“Arts and cultural organizations like Hudson Valley Shakespeare are central to communities across New York State — boosting local economies and driving our vibrant tourism industry,” Governor Hochul said. “As we celebrate the groundbreaking for Hudson Valley Shakespeare’s expansion, we’re also making $80 million available to help even more organizations across the state have the opportunity to grow, thrive and inspire the next generation of New Yorkers.”
 
“Today represents a watershed moment in our evolution from a seasonal festival to a cultural anchor for the Hudson Valley, as well as a destination for arts lovers from far and wide. This transformational moment is only possible because of an historic $10 million grant from NYSCA and a generous leadership gift from the Scripps family and the Samuel H. Scripps Foundation,” said Davis McCallum, Artistic Director. “We’re honored by their belief in the power of the arts to build community and are deeply thankful for all of the supporters who have helped to realize this exciting new chapter for Hudson Valley Shakespeare, especially Chris Davis, whose vision and generosity afforded us the opportunity to put down permanent roots here in the Hudson Valley.”
 
The Samuel H. Scripps Theater Center is scheduled to open in time for the 2026 summer season.
 
The new theater will be named in honor of Samuel H. Scripps (1927-2007), a visionary philanthropist whose passion for theater and dance profoundly shaped American culture. From an early age, Sam developed a deep love for Shakespeare, which would guide his lifelong commitment to the arts. With his wife, Luise Elcanness Scripps (1927-2015), Sam played a pivotal role in promoting and supporting dance and theater across the United States and around the globe. Hudson Valley Shakespeare is deeply honored to name our theater in Sam’s memory, in recognition of his and Luise’s lifelong enthusiasm for Shakespeare, and their devotion to the artistic community of the Hudson Valley region.
 
“For the last twenty years, I have been honored to continue Sam's legacy,” said Richard Feldman, President of the SHS Foundation. “Sam's passion for Shakespeare and his dedication and support to the theater and dance communities continues through the SHS Foundation, which presently funds more than 50 organizations and artists.”
 
Designed by architecture and urban design practice Studio Gang, Hudson Valley Shakespeare’s new home will create a singular theatrical destination for New York and the wider performing arts community and a cultural anchor for the Hudson Valley, while providing the company with greater versatility for its actors, audiences, and back-of-house operations and will extend the viable performance season into the fall. Bringing nature and art closer together, the theater’s curved, timber-framed grid shell and timber columns emerge from the landscape to create a dialogue with the Hudson Highlands. The stage’s proscenium arch is carefully oriented to frame picturesque views of the Wey-Gat (Dutch for “Wind Gate”) of Storm King Mountain, the Hudson River, and Breakneck Ridge, and allows the actors to utilize the existing topography to emerge from the landscape. Anchored by an open-air theater, the program is spread across several pavilions that include a back-of-house facility, a concession building, and public restrooms. Each pavilion is clad in natural materials that evoke the minerality of the region. Landscape elements are also integrated into the theater’s architecture: outdoor gathering spaces adjacent to the theater encourage visitors to connect with each other in an extraordinary natural setting, while a nearby overlook offers an intimate space for pre- and post-performance programming.
 
“Hudson Valley Shakespeare’s new theater is designed to immerse audiences and actors in the rich landscape of the Hudson Valley,” said Studio Gang Founding Partner Jeanne Gang. “The architecture weaves in elements of the natural environment to create a unique indoor-outdoor setting for the company’s open-air productions and to offer an unparalleled theater experience.”
 
Nelson Byrd Woltz’s landscape design rehabilitates the site of a former golf course to restore native grasses and wetlands that support biodiversity and decrease resource use. Nearly 14 acres of new plantings include 250 native or adaptive trees, native grasses, forbs, and perennials, and bioretention areas that collect and filter stormwater runoff. The landscape is designed as an experiential sequence: upon arrival to a new, gravel parking area, visitors encounter a mix of unpaved and accessible paths that guide them up and through native meadows, immersing them in nature and providing views out to the Wind Gate, and ultimately leading to the hilltop theater and gathering areas. A large portion of the site was left open for future walking trails or other community uses, while 25,000 square feet of picnic lawns, shaded by new native trees, offer an abundance of vantage points from which to take in the view and enjoy pre-show programming. The design employs several features to enhance environmental performance, including natural ventilation and brise soleil systems, low embodied carbon structure and cladding, and rooftop solar panels, among others. Through its care for the environment, and the planet more broadly, the design aims to ensure that the company’s productions, and the diversity of the natural world, remain center stage for many seasons to come. 
 
“Having worked with Hudson Valley Shakespeare for many years – first on the site master plan, and now on the landscape design – we are thrilled to see this project coming to fruition, and to help shape Hudson Valley Shakespeare’s first permanent home,” said Thomas Woltz, Senior Principal of NBW. “Our design celebrates the natural beauty of this extraordinary site and creates connections between theater and landscape to enhance the magic of storytelling for generations to come."
 
“We are thrilled to announce that Hudson Valley Shakespeare has raised $50.5 million towards our ROOTED Capital Campaign goal of $58 million. Though there is more work ahead, we could not have reached this incredible fundraising milestone without the tremendous support of Hudson Valley Shakespeare's Board of Directors, led by Board President and Campaign Co-Chair Robin Shelby Arditi, Campaign Co-Chair Frederic C. Rich, our Capital Campaign Committee, the Federal government and the state of New York, a number of private foundations, and dozens of extremely generous individuals who believed in the vision and importance of this unique and historic project and campaign,” said Kendra Ekelund, Hudson Valley Shakespeare’s Managing Director. “We could not be more excited to break ground on our new home, and we look forward to welcoming audiences to our beautiful new facility in late spring of 2026.”
 
Hudson Valley Shakespeare is the recent recipient of a New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) $10 million grant, as part of NYSCA’s FY 2023 Capital Improvement Grants for Arts and Culture. This allocation represents the largest expression of support by NYSCA in the state, marking a milestone achievement for HVS as it receives capital funding from NYSCA for the first time. The fund's purpose is to provide resources to cultural institutions for capital improvements that will enable them to expand and sustain diverse programming, enhance accessibility and environmental sustainability, generate and preserve jobs, and contribute to the growth of New York's arts organizations. A significant portion of the grant will be used to support the construction of the theater, as well as for the ecological restoration of the site, creating native meadows, new picnic lawns, and new ADA accessible pathways. These initiatives all align with Hudson Valley Shakespeare's commitment to achieving carbon neutrality for the campus by 2040.
 
“As a supporter of Hudson Valley Shakespeare for over 30 years, the New York State Council on the Arts is proud to have provided one of our largest Capital Projects grant ever to this incredible expansion project.  Hudson Valley Shakespeare will become a year-round destination and a powerful economic driver for this region with world-class performances and free community programming, set within a stunning landscape,” said Erika Mallin, Executive Director of NYSCA. “By providing this level of support, we give organizations the opportunity to dream big and to better serve New York State. We congratulate the Hudson Valley Shakespeare team on their visionary intersection of art and nature and look forward to all the creativity and innovation that will take place here.”
 
In 2021, Hudson Valley Shakespeare was selected as one of the 488 projects that received funds from Empire State Development (ESD) through Round 11 of the Regional Economic Development Council in the Mid-Hudson Region. In addition to this $2 million grant from ESD, the Office of Parks’ Environmental Protection Fund awarded HVS a $500,000 grant that same year. For Round 12's 2023 grants, HVS received $750,000 for a Market NY appropriation for Capital Tourism.
 
“Our Regional Economic Development Councils are key players in investing in projects, such as this new home for Hudson Valley Shakespeare, that enhance our communities by building on their strengths,” said Hope Knight, Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner. “We’re also committed to the starring role that tourism plays in New York State’s economy and this beautiful, sustainably designed, space will no doubt draw audiences from around the region and beyond.” 
 
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer also recently announced he has secured a $1.5 million boost in federal funding in pending legislation to complete the project. In 2022, the Honorable Sean Patrick Maloney secured a $3.5 million grant in federal funding through the EPA for riparian and watershed ecological restoration on the site. Hudson Valley Shakespeare also received $150K in total from Former NYS Assemblymember Sandy Galef and NYS Senator Pete Harckham.
 
Hudson Valley Shakespeare has also debuted a new visual identity to accompany this major milestone in their evolution from a seasonal festival to a place-based cultural destination. In addition to the new logo and branding, the company will go by Hudson Valley Shakespeare (abbreviated HVS) moving forward.
 

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