The Perelman Performing Arts Center is opening in Lower Manhattan this fall

Jun 12, 2023

Decades in the making, the theater is unlike any other in NYC.

A theater unlike any other in NYC will soon open in Lower Manhattan as the final piece of the puzzle in the World Trade Center site.

Described as “radically flexible,” The Perelman Performing Arts Center will begin welcoming theater, music, dance, opera, film and more this September within a unique reconfigurable space. Walls, floors and even seats can be moved to create more than 60 different theater layouts. Officials this morning announced programming for the new space, which includes several world premieres, comedy from Indigenous comedians and a new take on Cats with a Ballroom twist.

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The Perelman Performing Arts Center is situated in the World Trade Center site, breathing life and culture into a place once struck with tragedy. It will join the historic 9/11 Memorial and Museum in celebrating the resilience of NYC and serving as a community gathering place where the arts can flourish.

“This performing arts center is the final major piece in the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site. It brings creativity and light and hope to the site in a manner that respects its role as a place for remembrance and reflection,” former NYC Mayor and the arts center’s Board Chairman Mike Bloomberg said during a building tour on Wednesday. “It will open up a great new chapter for the neighborhood by bringing even more visitors and excitement to the area.”

In addition, he said, the impact of PAC NYC will extend far beyond downtown, bolstering neighborhoods and spurring investments.

“It is also unique because of its location on this site of remembrance,” the center’s Executive Director Khady Kamara says. “The programming we’ve selected celebrates that spirit of diversity and creativity and resilience and hope and takes advantage of all of the opportunities presented to us by the center’s unique architecture and technology.”

The 138-foot-tall, cube-shaped building is distinguishable from blocks away with its translucent marble tile exterior providing an inner glow during the day and an outward radiance at night. Architect Joshua Ramus characterizes the building as “pure and elegant and a little bit deferential.”

Bloomberg calls the building “an engineering marvel.” It sits atop 13 train lines, carefully insulated against vibration.

Inside, the PAC houses three distinct theaters. The Zuccotti Theater (450 seats), Nichols Theater (250 seats), and Duke Theater (99 seats) are reconfigurable spaces ready to use on their own or in unison. Configurations can be as intimate as 50 seats or as large as 950 seats.

While artists are usually constricted to the space of a venue, the PAC instead can convert as needed to meet their creative needs. With movable acoustic walls, floors and seats, the venue can be set up in theater-in-the-round, end stage, thrust and traverse configurations.

Each stage is isolated from the others, ensuring that rock music could be played in one and spoken word next door without any imposition, Ramus explained.

He describes the building as “a mystery box.”

“The idea that the more and more and more you use this building, instead of it revealing itself to you that you actually get more mystified how all this incredible array of artistic creativity and experiences can all be produced within one relatively small building,” he says.

The lobby of the performing arts center will be open to the public, where guests can watch free performances yet to be announced.

“I like to think of this as a living room for Lower Manhattan where people can come together, be inspired and share ideas,” Kamara says.

David Rockwell, who designed the lobby and adjacent restaurant, described the entrance as “a warm embrace.”

It’s designed with plush stacked felt walls, flexible furniture arrangements and a terrace for fresh air.

Tying the dynamic space together is a lobby restaurant with an open kitchen, bar and outdoor terrace.

Renowned chef Marcus Samuelsson will helm the restaurant. It’ll be his fourth restaurant in New York City, joining the acclaimed Red Rooster Harlem, Hav & Mar, and Ginny’s Supper Club.

Expect dozens of shows in genres from music to theater to dance at the Perelman Performing Arts Center. Here’s what’s been announced so far; tickets go on sale to the public on Friday, June 23 at 10am. (PAC NYC members and Citi cardholders can get access to a presale as of Tuesday, June 20.)

Programming will kick off with a five-concert series on the theme of refuge. All five shows will offer pay-what-you-wish admission.

In addition to the Refuge concert series, music programming will include:

The Perelman Performing Arts Center will partner with Tribeca Festival to present a number of film screenings, panel discussions, performances and special events in conjunction with the 2024 Tribeca Festival.

Expect a series of engaging conversations with award-winning authors, bestselling storytellers, and cultural changemakers from the worlds of arts, entertainment, media, and politics, including:

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