Situated within Washington DC’s historic U Street, the theatre is designed to ultimately provide a gathering space for the neighborhood to enjoy a variety of puppet performances, specifically shadow performances and marionettes. The design and organization of the spaces are informed by the scale of the puppets and type of experience. As the theatre moves up in height, each of the performance spaces become more controlled in terms of audience participation, lighting, and sound.
The architectural relationship between the puppeteers and the public is primarily expressed through the structure of the building. The puppeteers occupy the space between two load bearing concrete walls - just as they bear the weight of the puppets, the walls bear the weight of the spaces they inhabit. Apertures in the concrete walls reveal the performance to the audience, a play between what is hidden and what can be understood.