Town Hall Theatre Annex

The Middlebury Town Hall Theater Annex represents a transformative new chapter for one of Vermont’s most iconic historic landmarks. The 9,000-square-foot addition and outdoor plaza nearly double the size of the 1884 theater, reestablishing it as the cultural and social center of downtown Middlebury.

The original Town Hall Theater long served as a civic and cultural hub, hosting town meetings, lectures, and performances in its 232-seat venue. Over time, demand outpaced what a single performance space could support. Rehearsals, set construction, and educational programs all competed for stage time, limiting performances and reducing operational efficiency.

The new Annex addresses these challenges with dedicated spaces for performance, learning, and production. The lower level includes a fully equipped scene shop that expands production capacity and supports technical education. The ground floor houses the Center for Learning & Engagement with classrooms and flexible workshop space, and the upper level includes an adaptable performance studio with bar, lounge, and balcony seating. An outdoor plaza between the historic theater and the addition serves both as a venue for outdoor performances and an informal gathering place for the community.

Through thoughtful design and careful integration, the Town Hall Theater Annex restores the theater’s role as Middlebury’s gathering place, honoring the past while creating a flexible, vibrant space for the community’s future.