MCC Theater is the new permanent home for a prestigious, off-Broadway stage group. The lighting is part of a conversation between the materials used in each space. With an architectural palette that ranges from unfinished concrete to glazed painted walls and veneered wood accents, the lighting is the unifying element among these contrasting surfaces.

Large disks of light float and flow throughout the lobby and guide patrons up the stairs to the balcony level.  Their seemingly random spacing belies a careful arrangement that creates a visually appealing pattern. Moreover, the configuration plays down the open ceiling and responds to the triangulated lobby and irregularly spaced columns. The fixture’s circular form adds a comfortable, friendly quality.

The main theater continues the dialog between materials.  The unfinished concrete box is outfitted with painted wood perimeter screens.  Lit from behind by concealed wall grazers, the concrete is visible and celebrated, yet softened by the silhouetted screens.

The lighting provides the finishing touch to the architecture, enabling an authentic reading of the materials while also weaving these disparate elements into a finished whole.