Construction Begins On $40 Million Renovation Of Trinity Rep’s Lederer Theater Center
Project will modernize Rhode Island’s State Theater, improving accessibility, community spaces, and sustainability
Trinity Repertory Company has broken ground on a transformative $40 million renovation of its historic Lederer Theater Center, marking the most significant facility project in the company’s history.
The milestone also launches the public phase of The Public Square Campaign, a major capital initiative designed to ensure that Rhode Island’s Tony Award-winning State Theater remains a vibrant cultural hub for generations to come.
Built in 1917 as Emery’s Majestic Theater, the building has not undergone major renovation since Trinity Rep purchased it in the early 1970s. The extensive modernization, designed by Flansburgh Architects and managed by Gilbane Building Company, will enhance safety, accessibility, and sustainability while expanding public and artistic spaces. Demolition began this fall, with completion expected in early 2027.
“Today marks a transformational milestone for Trinity Rep and for Rhode Island’s creative community,” said Executive Director Katie Liberman. “This project honors our historic home while ensuring that artists, students, and audiences alike can experience the power of live theater in a welcoming, modern, and inspiring space.”
To date, Trinity Rep has raised over $34.6 million toward its $40 million goal. Beginning November 10, all new gifts to The Public Square Campaign will be matched dollar-for-dollar, up to $500,000, through an anonymous family foundation challenge. “Every new gift helps us create a more accessible, sustainable, and inspiring home for Rhode Island’s State Theater,” said Board Chair Kibbe Reilly.
A major priority of the renovation is accessibility. For the first time, an elevator will connect all five floors of the building, opening previously inaccessible rehearsal, costume, and studio spaces for artistic and community use. Artistic Director Curt Columbus emphasized, “This project ensures that everyone, regardless of mobility, can fully participate in the life of the theater, onstage, backstage, or in our classrooms.”
The design will also expand education and community gathering spaces, creating a bright, flexible lobby addition and consolidating Trinity Rep’s administrative offices under one roof. Partnering with the City of Providence, the theater’s adjacent Adrian Hall Way will be redeveloped into a public plaza with lighting, greenery, and outdoor seating, transforming the downtown corner into a new civic destination.
The renovation will include the first major upgrade to the 500-seat Chace Theater since 1972, featuring new, more comfortable seating, flexible configurations, modernized stage infrastructure, and a full LED lighting grid. “The new Chace Theater will be intimate, flexible, and state-of-the-art, a space worthy of our artists and audiences,” said Columbus.
During construction, all performances will take place in the Dowling Theater. Trinity Rep will announce the Chace Theater’s reopening date at a later time.
For updates or to contribute to The Public Square Campaign, visit TrinityRep.com/Renovation or TrinityRep.com/Campaign.
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