The new Stagehouse at Merriweather Post Pavilion provides all the backstage amenities a touring artist or band and their crew could ask for from a performance venue. Adjacent to the stage, the building features VIP event space, select executive office suites, conference rooms, AV production rooms, spacious comfortable dressing rooms, a large catering kitchen and a bright indoor-outdoor dining room that opens onto the poolside patio.

The sustainable features of the Stagehouse speak to the core values of many of the artists it serves. Artists can fill their tour buses and trucks from the onsite bio-diesel fueling station that is also available to any staff or community member. Indoor environmental quality was of particular importance to the design team. The mechanical system features control, monitoring, and ventilation systems that provide substantial benefit to occupants so they can breathe easy and adjust conditions to meet their individual preferences. Materials and products with lower environmental and occupant health impacts were chosen where available and lower impact operations will be continued through the formal implementation of green-cleaning and integrated pest-management policies. The owner has invested in clean, renewable energy by purchasing Green-e-certified renewable energy credits for 100% of the facility’s electricity in its first two years of operation.

The Stagehouse is even making a buzz around the country with musicians touting the comfort, aesthetics, and sustainability of the new backstage area as a benchmark for other amphitheaters to emulate.