Delacorte Theater Case Study

Central Park’s Open-Air Stage, Renewed for Contemporary Performance

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Built Environment

Industry

Performing Arts Centers

Location

New York

Architect | Theater Consultant

Ennead Architects | Fisher Dachs Associates

The Delacorte Theater is one of New York City’s most recognizable open-air performance venues and the longtime home of Shakespeare in the Park. Set within Central Park, the theater carries both cultural significance and a strong sense of place, making its renovation an act of careful renewal.

Jaffe Holden, a Trinity Consultants team, provided acoustics, AV, IT, and security design for the renovation. Working closely with The Public Theater, the team helped specify and verify the systems the client wanted, supporting contemporary production needs while respecting the theater’s outdoor character, public setting, and long-standing relationship with audiences.

Vision

The renewed Delacorte is envisioned as a theater that feels unmistakably tied to Central Park while offering the infrastructure required for contemporary performance. Its identity depends on openness, immediacy, and the shared experience of live theater under the sky. The technical design supports that identity by giving performers, crews, and operators systems that feel capable, discreet, and aligned with the venue’s character.

The renovation addressed both the performance experience and the audience experience in equal measure. Acoustic design to control backstage noise, quieter HVAC systems to keep focus on the performers, new seating, box office upgrades, and improved audience amenities were all part of renewing what makes the Delacorte work — for the people onstage and the people in the seats.

Partnership

The project team included The Public Theater, Ennead Architects, and Fisher Dachs Associates. Our team worked in close coordination with The Public Theater throughout — specifying and verifying the acoustic and technical systems the client wanted, rather than designing in isolation. The design brought together performance quality, audience experience, operations, durability, staff access, and visual restraint within one of New York City’s most recognizable outdoor cultural spaces.

Outdoor theater work calls for a different kind of precision from enclosed venue design. Acoustic and AV systems support intelligibility and production quality in a setting shaped by open air, natural surroundings, and the energy of live performance. IT and security systems support operations while maintaining a discreet presence within the architecture and park environment. The result is a set of systems that feel like they belong to the Delacorte — capable without being intrusive.

Services Performed

Our team provided acoustics, AV, IT, and security design for the Delacorte Theater renovation, supporting modern performance needs in an open-air environment. Services included room acoustics, sound isolation, sound and vibration control, audio/video systems design, and IT/security systems design to enhance sound quality, flexibility, and audience experience.

Building Sound Isolation

Environmental Acoustics

AV Systems Strategy & Design

Integrated Design for Secure Environments

Integrated Communication Networks

Construction Noise & Vibration Monitoring

Value-Add

Our acoustic work focused on performance clarity within an open-air theater, including acoustic design to control backstage noise and reduce unwanted sound intrusion into the performance environment. New HVAC systems were specified to keep mechanical noise from competing with performers, supporting the quiet conditions that spoken-word performance demands.

AV infrastructure was integrated to support theatrical production needs, system reliability, and operational efficiency. IT and security systems were incorporated into the renovation with a light touch in the audience experience, supporting daily operations without compromising the open, civic feel of the venue.

The renovation also brought meaningful improvements to the public face of the facility: new seating, box office upgrades, improved restrooms, and expanded audience amenities. These investments improve the experience for audiences returning year after year to one of New York’s most loved cultural traditions. For performers, the result is a stage with stronger technical support. For The Public Theater, it is an infrastructure built to sustain Shakespeare in the Park for the long term.

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