Congratulations to all of our award winners! Our Architecture Award winners will be honored on Thursday, March 19, at our Awards, Awards, Awards ceremony in Long Beach as part of our Annual Conference & Stage Expo.
Architecture Awards
Sponsored by the USITT Architecture Commission, the Architecture Awards Program honors excellence in design and has recognized architects of theatre projects for 25 years.
Honor Award: The Court Theatre
Christchurch Central City, New Zealand
Architecture Firm: Haworth Tompkins
Architect: Athfield Architects
Theatre Consultant: Charcoalblue
Acoustical Consultant: Marshall Day Acoustics
Structural Consultant: Ruamoko Solutions
AMEP Consultant: Cosgroves
Construction Manager & General Contractor: Hawkins
This project marks the completion of a purpose-built theatre and production facility, creating a vibrant new cultural hub in the city centre. The design integrates performance, production, and education under one roof, supporting a full range of theatrical activity from large-scale productions to experimental work.
The facility includes a 379-seat main auditorium, a 130–150-seat studio theatre, rehearsal and education spaces, and workshops for set, costume, and prop creation. Front-of-house amenities such as a café and bar complement the creative spaces. As a producing theatre, all elements of performance, from lighting and sound to sets and costumes, are developed on site, enabling a fully integrated creative process.
At the heart of the design is openness and connectivity: public and production areas are physically and visually linked, allowing audiences to witness the creative process and fostering a sense of shared engagement. The layout supports dynamic circulation, structured around the central auditorium and encourages interaction between performers, staff, and visitors.
The project employs a hybrid construction strategy, combining mass timber, steel, and concrete to balance sustainability, resilience, and aesthetic warmth. Timber interiors provide tactile comfort, regulate humidity, and lock in carbon, while the structural combination meets technical performance requirements. The main auditorium is configured as a compact, intimate courtyard theatre, fostering a strong connection between audience and performers. The studio theatre supports experimental and community-driven work, broadening opportunities for diverse storytelling. Advanced technical infrastructure, including powered flying systems and adaptable stage technology, future-proofs the facility for decades of creative use.
Every aspect of the project prioritises functionality, sustainability, and inclusivity, from material selection to spatial organisation. This project delivers a high-performing, innovative theatre and production environment that supports artistic creation, engages audiences, and establishes a model for integrated cultural facilities.
About the Recipient:
Charcoalblue
Charcoalblue is an international design consultancy. We bring a global reach and localized expertise to projects of all scales, with a particular focus on the performing arts, culture and entertainment. We create extraordinary spaces where people come together – from historic theatres to contemporary workplaces, permanent buildings to temporary structures, and physical to digital environments.
"We thank the collaborative team led by the Architects and the inspirational client who persevered to bring this building back for the community of Christchurch.
At Charcoalblue, we pride ourselves on creating extraordinary spaces where stories are told and we are proud to have played a part in such an important and highly anticipated venue. We are honored to be a member of the extraordinary team that have received this award."
Instagram: @charcoalblue
Merit Award: The Momentary
Bentonville, AR, USA
Owner: Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
Architecture Firm: Wheeler Kearns Architects
Theatre Consultant: Schuler Shook
Acoustical Consultant: Threshold Acoustics
Structural Consultant: Thornton Tomasetti
MEP Consultant: McGuire Engineers
Construction Manager & General Contractor: Flintco
The project is a multidisciplinary contemporary arts venue creatively repurposed from a 70-year-old decommissioned cheese factory.
The 63,000 SF building and 10.5-acre site includes five flexible venues ranging from indoor to outdoor; from a traditional black box to a vertical stage. Performance venues intentionally overlap and co-exist with visual art, culinary experiences and social activities.
Formerly the intake room where trucks would deliver milk, the RØDE House is a multi-disciplinary performance venue that now holds over 350 people in unlimited ways. An adjustable floor system accommodates an end stage with raked seating or flat standing, a catwalk or aisle configuration, a flat floor, and more. Overhead, new trusses were inserted between precast roof members to support robust production equipment, while sightlines and accessibility were carefully engineered into the newly leveled floor. Existing garage door openings are infilled with bi-folding glass doors which open the space to the exterior.
The Fermentation Hall is a black box theatre leveraging the acoustic isolation and height of the plant’s original fermentation room. Telescopic seating, wall-rail systems, and retractable projection screens allow artists to create experimental, multi-disciplinary experiences for 100+ people at a time, and adjustable absorptive drapery allow artists to tune the acoustics of the space for the performance.
Once the enclosure for the plant’s massive tank, the Tower is a 70’ high space featuring multiple mezzanines for visual and performing arts. Seating risers, robust rigging, theatrical lighting and AV equipment allow events to pop-up within an ongoing visual art exhibit.
Delimited by a landscaped berm that doubles as seating for festivals and performances, an outdoor amphitheater lawn takes advantage of the existing grading of the site and focuses on a new dynamic stage canopy. In the South Entry Courtyard, a 70-ft glass scrim transforms into a vertical stage for light, projection, and performance.
About the Recipient:
Calli Verkamp, AIA LEED AP
Calli joined Wheeler Kearns Architects in 2013 and became a Principal in 2023. A native Arkansan, she received her Bachelor of Architecture from the Fay Jones School of Architecture at the University of Arkansas.
Her work spans a range of project types, from thoughtfully designed homes to transformative cultural institutions. She was the lead project architect for The Momentary in Bentonville, Arkansas, where a decommissioned cheese factory was reimagined as a vibrant center for contemporary art, performance, and community gathering. Other projects include the Ryan Learning Center renovation inside the iconic Modern Wing at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Chicago Children’s Theatre, and the Lookingglass Theatre Lobby, which transformed space inside the landmarked Chicago Avenue Pumping Station into an expressive, public-facing lobby with support spaces, café, bar, and rehearsal and education areas.
Instagram: @wheelerkearnsarchitects
More News
Support USITT
For many 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations, USITT included, donations are a lifeline. We are able to continue to expand our online offerings to our Members and to our industry thanks to Membership dollars and the generosity of our donors.