Powerhouse Theater

The Powerhouse Theater Season uses four different venues for its productions

Powerhouse Mainstage Productions and workshops are held in the 145-seat Powerhouse Theater. The black box theater takes its name from the building’s former life, as the college’s actual powerhouse, built in 1912 to accommodate Vassar’s changeover from gas to electric power. In 1973, the original structure was reinvented and renamed the Hallie Flanagan Davis Powerhouse Theater, in memory of the legendary dramatist who created the Experimental Theater at Vassar in the early 20th century. A little more than a decade later, in 1985, the theater housed the first Powerhouse Theater Season.

Powerhouse musicals and concert readings are held in the 325-seat Martel Theater, in the Vogelstein Center for Drama and Film, opened in 2003. Designed by the renowned architectural firm of Cesar Pelli and Associates, the Broadway-standard Martel Theater features a traditional proscenium-style stage.

Powerhouse Inside Look plays, workshops, and readings are held in the 125-seat Susan Stein Shiva Theater. The building was the college’s original coal bin and was converted to a black box theater in 1994.

The Powerhouse Apprentice Company performs abbreviated versions of classic plays and new works at the Outdoor Amphitheater on the Vassar College campus. Performances are free to the public. In the event of severe weather, the productions are held inside one of the above theaters.