Doris Duke Theater - Jacob's Pillow - Beckett, Massachusetts

Dancers must take class every day to stay in form. The summer is a time when there are insufficient opportunities for dancers to take class every day because performance seasons are slack and rehearsal studios in the city are hot and humid. Ted Shawn and his company of dancers, in the days before air conditioned studios were common, built Jacob's Pillow in the Berkshires as a summer retreat where they could take class and prepare the next season's work.

Today, the Pillow is a summer dance festival and school, was awarded National Historic Landmark status and is an incubator for what's coming next in the world of dance. The place has been honored by the presence of our greatest dancers. Opened in 1990, the Doris Duke Theater is the Pillow's first large studio and is used for developing new work in class, rehearsals, and performances.