PRESERVING A PIECE OF MCCARTER HISTORY: The original Princeton Triangle Club seat end standards, dating to the Matthews Theatre’s opening in 1930, have been removed for restoration during McCarter Theatre Center’s summer renovation. The decorative cast-metal pieces will be reattached to the theater’s new seats, preserving a distinctive architectural feature of the historic venue. (Photo courtesy of McCarter Theatre Center)

By Matthew Hersh

Patrons returning to McCarter Theatre Center this fall will find a familiar auditorium with a more comfortable seat.

This summer, McCarter and Princeton University are replacing all of the seating in the historic Matthews Theatre as part of a renovation that also includes new carpeting throughout the auditorium. The project is expected to be completed before Princeton University’s fall orientation and the opening of McCarter’s 2026–27 season.

While audiences will notice new red velour seats with updated ergonomic design, much of the theater’s historic character will remain unchanged. According to McCarter, the current seating configuration is being preserved, allowing subscribers to retain their existing seat locations. The project also includes additional transfer seats to expand accessibility while maintaining the existing wheelchair and companion seating.

One of the renovation’s most notable preservation efforts involves the decorative cast-metal aisle end standards featuring the Princeton Triangle Club logo. Installed when the theater opened in 1930, the original end standards are being restored and reinstalled as part of the project rather than replaced.

The Triangle Club’s connection to McCarter Theatre runs deep. According to Princeton University’s virtual Princetoniana Museum, McCarter Theatre was built as the permanent home of the Triangle Club after the organization’s previous theater, the Casino, was destroyed by fire in 1924. Construction began in 1928 following a major fundraising campaign led by philanthropist Thomas N. McCarter, Princeton Class of 1888, together with support from the Triangle Club itself. The theater opened in February 1930 with the Triangle Club production of The Golden Dog.

Founded in 1893, the Princeton Triangle Club is recognized as the nation’s oldest touring collegiate musical comedy troupe. For more than a century, it has produced original student-written musicals while launching the careers of notable alumni including Jimmy Stewart, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Brooke Shields, and Ellie Kemper. The organization continues to stage its annual productions at McCarter.

The renovation also carries a unique historical connection. According to McCarter, the replacement seats are being manufactured by the family-owned Irwin Seating Company of Grand Rapids, Michigan — the same company that produced the theater’s original seats in 1929. The company continues to operate the factory where the original seating was manufactured nearly a century ago.

Although this summer’s work focuses on seating and audience amenities, it is the latest chapter in a series of improvements to the nearly century-old theater. According to Princetoniana Museum, a major renovation in 1985 modernized the Matthews Theatre by adding air conditioning, upgrading lighting and sound systems, and substantially reworking the auditorium, balcony, and seating areas. A second phase completed in 1991-92 added the theater’s glass-enclosed lobbies, expanded dressing rooms, rehearsal space, offices, and an enlarged box office.