Olney Theatre Center Master Plan

All the world’s a stage and as architects we create spaces for people to inhabit and perform the daily rituals of life. The intention of the master plan, created by Inscape Publico in collaboration with Olney Theatre Center, is to activate the OTC campus for the multiple audiences that are intertwined and share in the common experience of navigating through, within, and around this Montgomery County landmark and cultural center.

The arts are transformative, stimulating the creativity and innovation in all of us. It is with this in mind that the master plan creates a framework for interaction and collaboration between the different user groups that populate OTC. As members of the local community, OTC staff, audience members, event attendees, actors, artists, and resident fellows navigate the OTC campus through a network of pedestrian paths, to and from the new and existing buildings, a series of outdoor courtyards will activate the campus. The courtyards are stages for the audience on the evening of a performance (Audience Court), for a family visiting OTC on a Saturday afternoon (Community Court), for the actors rehearsing their lines (Artist’s Court), for the production crew and artistic director collaborating on the set design for an upcoming play (Maker’s Court), for a bride and groom celebrating their wedding (Catering Court), and an outdoor classroom for the positive transformation of young adults through theater arts education (Education Court).