Layton Construction Co., Inc.

Scope Of Work

Hale Centre Theatre is a one-of-a-kind venue. Designed as a "latern to the community," it is home to hundreds of sold-out performances a year.

The new performing arts center sits on 2.9 acres, and features two theatres comprising a total of 1,361 seats. The theatre-in-the-round center theatre boasts 900 seats while the separate proscenium-thrust theater holds 461.

The facility features state-of-the-art sound and lighting, generous backstage areas, dressing rooms, a stunning grand lobby with a large concessions area and administrative offices. But the star of show, as it were, is the articulated stage in the main theater, where the rotating stage gives the entire audience an intimate view of the performance. It also makes set changes easier because the stage is lowered out of sight rather than having to place the sets from a traditional theater fly-loft.

Construction challenges were intense. In addition to an ambitious schedule, the below-stage space required excavating a pit 50 feet wide and 70 feet below grade in sandy, swampy soil. “The soil does not hold compressive strength,” Layton project manager Jared Adamson said. “We had to put piles down past a layer of sand to get to bedrock. We have to have piles holding the building up and piles to hold it in place.” The cast-in-place building sits on a total of 225 piles, some at depths of more than 70 feet.