A Signature Space To Match Its Reputation

In its years in the old 12,000-square-foot space, Signature presented 21 world premieres and specialized in Sondheim revivals. The theater began in 1989 with 136 subscribers; today it has 4,800. In addition to having a comfortable place to see a play, patrons can hang out at the bar for an hour before the show, nibbling on cheese plates or homemade Signature chocolate truffles. A pianist will play in the lobby before the show and after the curtain falls the full-service bar will stay open for an hour.

What Signature has now, more than anything, is light. The exterior glows with a two-story glass facade, and the theater company's name in lights on a column. A dramatic expanse of glass, 14 feet high by 140 feet long, encloses the second-floor lobby.

The actors have elbow room. Now 41 people can use the dressing areas -- four individual rooms for the stars and three shared rooms for the rest of the cast. There are three showers.

The orchestra has its own greenroom. There are three kitchen areas and a proper control room. A costume shop and costume storage area were added.

With the expansion, Signature can have weekday matinees. (Noise from neighboring body shops on Four Mile Run Drive made that impossible in the past.) "Into the Woods" will be performed eight times a week through Feb. 25, Tuesday through Sunday with matinees on Saturday and Sunday.

The second theater will be dedicated to more experimental plays -- new productions and works in progress.

Arlington County invested $5.5 million in the building, a four-story structure that Signature shares with a county library. Signature has the second, third and fourth floors; the library has most of the first floor.

Arlene and Robert Kogod have donated $3 million to the theater, the company announced yesterday, and the box office entryway will be named for them, as will the smaller theater, the Ark. The main stage is called the Max Theatre, named for Maxine Isaacs, who, with her husband, James A. Johnson, was a major donor. The Mead Lobby is named for supporters Gilbert and Jaylee Mead in honor of the late Rob Mead, Gilbert's son. Both couples gave at least $1 million.

Signature had to raise $7.6 million from private sources and surpassed its goal. Gifts to the campaign currently total $10.1 million. Its budget for this season increased to $4.5 million from $2.8 million last year.

Making the transition from the old space to the new will make it easier to raise money from corporations and other donors, Schaeffer says. They tend to like visible projects, and the new lobby gives them a new space for entertaining, he says.

The old space will be turned over to the county for development for other arts groups.