In the News

ACES Celebrates Reopening of the Little Theatre on Lincoln Street

June 17th, 2014

“We are delighted that the curtain in the Little Theatre will be raised once again,” says Dr. Craig W. Edmondson, Executive Director of ACES, “and that ACES ECA students and staff have a state-of-the-art instructional and performance space. With the Little Theatre’s renovation, ACES has been able to preserve the past and link it to the future.”

Julia McFadden, AIA, an associate principal with Svigals + Partners, adds: “New Haven has an exciting arts scene, exemplified by the dedication of ACES ECA students to improving their crafts. As members of a New Haven-based firm with our own commitment to art, we could not be more excited about having played a central role in the Little Theatre’s next chapter.”

Historic Meets High-Tech

Built in 1924 during the “little theater movement,” a national trend emphasizing the importance of smaller community spaces for drama as an alternative to glitzy spectacles and follies, the Little Theatre was later converted to a movie house. ACES purchased the defunct facility in 1986 — two years after it received status on the National Register of Historic Places — and conducted renovations necessary for use by ACES ECA. ACES Little Theatre continued to serve as a theater for the community, and was incorporated into a designated arts district.

Meeting the Challenges

Bitsie Clark, a retired alderwoman known for support of the arts in New Haven who was instrumental in the designation of the Audubon Arts District where the Little Theatre sits, has likewise championed the renovation. “The Little Theatre has always been one of my favorite places,” says Clark. “It’s wonderful that ACES took over the building and restored it. I’m absolutely delighted that it’s been renovated and has been made useful for the community and the children of the 21st century.”

Construction included tearing down an older addition in order to build a new one, adding 2,000 square feet to the theater’s original 9,000 square feet of floor area. The existing foundation walls needed to be replaced, which required replacing one section at a time in order to maintain the structure’s stability. The renovation plan retained the 16-inch thick steel-reinforced concrete walls and the steel truss roof with timber decking.

Preservation of the structure also required refurbishing the exterior in consultation with the Historic Preservation office, with careful attention to details like color and awning styles in order to restore the celebrated original appearance. Svigals + Partners also worked with Theatre Projects, a global consultancy, to design the theatrical infrastructure, advising McFadden’s team on maintaining sightlines by lowering the stage floor, for example. The consultant group also designed new flylofts, rigging, lighting systems, and an acoustic divider that makes it possible to have two rehearsals or performances simultaneously. “This is a serious new venue and a major boon for the students of the magnet school, as well as for the community at large,” says McFadden.

The grand opening will take place June 6 at 11 a.m.

Area Cooperative Educational Services (ACES) is the Regional Educational Service Center for the twenty-five school districts in south central, Connecticut. ACES operates as both a local education agency (LEA) and nonprofit organization. ACES has over 920 employees and more than 72 programs, schools, and services that include adult and vocational programs, children and adolescent services, professional development and school improvement, and technology services. ACES operates five special education schools and three magnet schools. The three ACES magnet schools are Wintergreen Interdistrict Magnet School, a K – 8 school, Thomas Edison Middle School, a 6 – 8 grade science and technology magnet school, and ACES Educational Center for the Arts (ECA). ACES ECA is Connecticut’s oldest interdistrict magnet school dedicated to the arts. It is an honors-level, arts magnet high school that draws students from twenty-five school districts through Connecticut. ACES ECA’s faculty of professional artists provide a unique and inspiring educational opportunity for creative writers, musicians, actors, visual artists, and dancers. ACES ECA is located in the heart of New Haven’s Arts community. For additional information, visit Aces.org.

The Hamden Journal