1100-seats
McCarter Theatre was built with funds from Princeton Alumnus Thomas N. McCarter to provide a permanent home for the Princeton University Triangle Club in 1929. In 1973, The University transferred direct control of the theater to McCarter Theatre Company, which was separately incorporated as a New Jersey non-for-profit organization. The Princeton University's Triangle Club continues to produce student run performances on McCarter's stage two times a year. Princeton University maintains the title of the building and has a long-term lease with McCarter Theatre.
In 1992, McCarter Theatre completed a major capital campaign of $12 million dollars to support a two-phase six-year project to renovate the theatre. Phase I, completed in 1986, included new lighting and sound systems, air conditioning and the refurbishment of auditorium seats. Phase II of the renovations include the completion of two new audience lobbies, an expanded Box Office, as well as new office, rehearsal and dressing room spaces. The auditorium has removable seats in the first four rows, which allows the stage to extend and the seating capacity to adjust from 1,078 to 999. The proscenium is 42' x 22' and the fully trapped stage is 40' deep. Fifty-one counterweight line sets are suspended from a 65' grid. The facility also contains a computerized lighting board and a recording studio.