“The Adams Theater’s mission is to create a long-lasting performing arts institution that fosters community engagement through a diverse range of programming. Collaborating extensively with independent artists and other cultural organizations in the Berkshires, the Adams Theater celebrates creative partnerships and promotes cultural dialogues.” — Adams Theater website
When asked how she became the owner and artistic director of the Adams Theater, Yina Moore admits, “None of this was scripted, but rather the result of an intriguing mix of serendipity and destiny.” Growing up in Shanghai, China, Moore had no idea she would one day buy and renovate a movie theater and inn in north Berkshire County—yet everything she has achieved along her life’s journey has somehow paved the way.
The existing structure, built as a movie theater in 1937 to replace the burned-down Atlas, became “a cultural anchor that connected generations of residents until its closure in 1967.” Marianna Simopoulos and Caryn Heilman bought the property in 2004 and spent many years working to restore it. Although they didn’t realize their full vision, the dedicated duo found the right person to carry it forward in Yina Moore, who purchased the theater in May 2021 for $189,000 and has been leading the renovation project ever since.
Like a phoenix, the Adams Theater is rising from the ashes, offering the surrounding community a welcome alternative to the familiar “profit-oriented, corporate-led, gentrifying development project”—a 12,443-square-foot theater complex dedicated to being “in sync with the community’s cultural climate and inclusive and accessible to all demographics.”
Cultural roots, education, and training
Moore attended the Shanghai Foreign Language School, which provided fertile ground (with its training in English and Western culture) for acceptance and scholarships to renowned schools abroad. She immigrated to the U.S. soon after to attend Hamilton College (in Clinton, N.Y.), where she studied economics and studio arts—“taking the safe route,” as she says, rather than pursuing an architecture degree at Cornell (where she was also accepted).
Following graduation, Moore moved to New York City and worked as a fixed-income strategist for 12 years (at UBS and Credit Suisse). During that time, she also nurtured her interest in the arts, visiting galleries, taking art classes, and volunteering at a theater education organization.
The architecture pull continued into her 30s, eventually leading to a pivoting conversation with her husband, who asked, “What’s preventing you from pursuing that passion now?” So, she applied to the three-year master’s program in architecture at Harvard, which she completed while raising two children.
A Harvard visiting professor connected her with Thomas Krens (of MASS MoCA fame), who was working on the Extreme Model Railroad and Contemporary Architecture Museum in North Adams at the time (in 2019). “He was my first client,” Moore explains. “My art, architecture, and business background was a good fit, and I spent 18 months working with Tom. His creative spirit has influenced me a lot.”
More importantly, that opportunity and the decision to rent a home in North Adams during the pandemic introduced her to the Berkshires, and she “immediately fell in love with northern Berkshire County.” She also listened to local stories, noting what she refers to as “the Berkshire formula” of “revitalizing abandoned, deteriorating buildings in disparate neighborhoods and infusing them with a bold artistic vision.” Those stories fueled aspirations to find her own project.
When she learned about the old Mohawk Movie Theater in Adams, she thought, “This might be the right project for me.” However, her RFP [request for proposal] was rejected. “That’s when I found the Adams Theater,” she says, smiling. She met Simopoulos and Heilman, who owned the theater and the Topia Inn (right behind the theater), and became intrigued with the revitalization the business partners had started before “running out of momentum.” They told Moore, “We are excited for you to continue our vision.”
Extensive renovations with clear priorities, carefully executed
With missing infrastructure (no lobby, HVAC, sprinkler system, or bathrooms) and countless things to fix (leaky roof, outdated electric system, and a dilapidated boiler room), the renovation project was admittedly challenging. Anyone else may have found it overwhelming, but Moore ran the numbers, developed a business plan, and began conceiving the architectural design. I’m an instigator,” she recognizes. “If anyone reached out to me to collaborate, I would talk to them.” She found a fellow trailblazer in Reggie Carter, a Broadway technician, who became 10 percent owner of the theater—”a dream he’s had since he was eight years old,” Moore points out.
“I’m a cautious risk taker,” Moore insists, “so I always have worst- and best-case scenarios worked out. If the worst-case scenario isn’t so bad, I’m not too afraid of the risk.” She applied for (and received) an $800,000 Underutilized Property Programs grant from MassDevelopment, which she describes as a “game changer” in tackling the bigger budget items. Then, she began the demolition process in July 2021, adding a new roof, fire sprinklers, and accessible auditorium floors in 2022. By May 2023, the theater had dual-level public restrooms to accommodate 400 people and an HVAC system.
Moore had two priorities in mind when designing the auditorium space. “We wanted to improve the accessibility of the auditorium floor and allow for flexible configurations,” she explains. The 8,109-square-foot auditorium now in place can fit up to 400 removable seats, offering “multi-functional space with flexible configurations ideal for the performing arts, lectures, rehearsals, and special events.” In addition to talking with dancers, theater professionals, and musicians, she shared project renderings on social media to get feedback from the public—all of which guided the design process.
Through her past architectural training, she learned the importance of “listening to potential stakeholders and finding out what the community needs.” This quality proved equally invaluable for designing the building and shaping the arts programming vision of the theater. Fielding ideas and engaging the surrounding community helped her gain valuable contacts and become more aware of her audience. Her design and construction advisors (including George LeMaitre, Kurt Wehmann, and Maia Robbins) offered advice and helped with critical decisions. In the process, she admits, “I discovered I’m good at this.”
One of Moore’s most strategic moves, however, was plotting a way to tackle the renovations step by step while still enabling community programming through “pop-up” performances. The current “low equipment theater” relies on rented lights and speakers for performances but will eventually be replaced with its own light and sound systems. In addition, they are applying for cultural and arts grants and are in the process of getting their 501(c)(3) status. “My hope is that this season creates enough noise to draw more potential investors,” Moore acknowledges.
Ensuring eclectic, inclusive, accessible programming
Moore was inspired to create a theater that would attract not just the typical patron but also those who may be intimidated by the arts. She invited staff members from Adams Plumbing & Heating to a show. Then, the fire department chief (whose team was on site for showtime safety) asked if they could screen a firefighters’ documentary there. One by one, more groups were invited to the theater—and fell in love with the experience.
“We had a volunteer who loved cleaning and turned up after every show,” Moore explains. She kept inviting him to attend a performance, and he kept promising, ‘Maybe one day I’ll come.’” When she offered him two priority tickets to a dance performance, he finally agreed, knowing his girlfriend would enjoy it. Then he sent Moore an email telling her how much he loved it. “This theater embodies those moments,” she says.
“We held our first fundraiser/benefit on November 11, 2022—“Two Piano Journey”—to a crowd of 275 people, and shortly after, the idea of a pop-up season took shape,” Moore explains. Working with the previous owners and a team of artistic advisors (including dance, music, theater, and film artists), she pursued her goal of fostering more creative partnerships among the arts community in Berkshire County.
“There are so many people in New York City, it’s easy to build a niche (Shakespearean plays or contemporary dance, for example), and people will gravitate to it,” Moore says. “But with only 125,000 people in the Berkshires, you need a diverse offering of programs to keep a year-long entity open,” she continues. Using her extensive arts and business background, Moore strategically staged a variety of performances. “I never boxed myself in,” she says.
As an immigrant, Moore was also keenly aware of the number of other immigrants living in the region and the number of artists who came during COVID and were building roots there. “The widening exposure of the Berkshires is creating a broader community and an interesting narrative,” she notes, adding, “I’m excited to create a place that reflects the changing demographics of the region and brings people together who otherwise wouldn’t be.”
Completing the vision—The Trail Inn
As part of her “artists-in-residence vision,” Moore added the former Topia Inn to her overall project in January 2023. “Kate Chen (a lifelong friend from Shanghai) and I had a dream of co-owning a bed and breakfast since we were young,” she explains. During a 2022 visit, Chen—who has a 20-year career in hospitality—told Moore, “If you ever decide to do a hospitality project, let me know.” After the inn happened to come up in a conversation with Simopoulos and Heilman, Chen (with her husband, Dimitrios Kolaxis) and Moore partnered to buy the property for $600,000, with Chen as the visionary and Moore as the executor.
Redesigned by Beau Barela (of Heart’s Pace Tea & Healing Arts Lounge) with a new focus on local arts, culture, and artists, the property reopened as The Trail in Adams. It is situated within minutes of several world-renowned arts institutions and works in collaboration with the theater. In addition to providing “an intimate lodging experience that connects the arts, culture, and nature of the Berkshires,” the boutique nine-room inn boasts “only organic materials and locally sourced amenities” and offers artists-in-residence the opportunity to host events and connect with locals.
Residencies and programs that challenge and transform
“We believe that cultural exchanges transform communities, and we celebrate works that challenge the status quo,” Moore asserts. Toward those ends, the Adams Theater hosted three residencies in 2023: Floating Tower music-theatre collective (featuring immigrant artists from North Adams and New York City, and refugees from Ukraine), Fern Katz & Collaborators (featuring artists from Stockbridge, Portugal, and New York City), and CP4P International Productions (featuring artists from Pittsburgh, Ukraine, and Kurdistan).
These residencies allowed the artists-in-residence to present their works-in-progress and invite the public to participate in workshops, open rehearsals, and Q&A sessions. Inspired by these positive experiences, The Adams Incubator plans to create several residencies each year, inviting artists to stay in Adams for a week or more while developing original works on and off stage. This year’s residencies include returning artists Fern Katz and Ricardo Paz Acro-Dance and two new groups, Life Jacket Theatre Company (NYC) and Baye and Asa (dance/choreography, NYC).
In 2023, The Adams Theater held 15 programs (18 performances) with 2,700 attending. They plan to double that schedule this year, hosting 30 or 36 performances on a pop-up basis from May to mid-October. The 2024 season opens on May 24 with a concert by Willi Carlisle. It includes Liz Glazer Comedy, the Berkshire Drag Pageant, Robert Frost: This Verse Business (by Gordon Klapp), Tiny Glass Tavern, Harvest and Rust, Misty Blues, Father-Son Duo Comedy, Daniel Maltz’s Viennese Fortepiano, and Fern Katz-Ricardo Paz Acro Dance. While still in development, the fall programming will include collaborations with local schools—something Moore has always wanted to do.
Creating the capacity for long-term accessibility
“When I bought the theater, there was slight resistance from the Adams community, who had seen ‘big city people coming in’ and witnessed what happens when neighborhoods get gentrified. I knew it was important to bring the community with us,” Moore shares. With that in mind, she set out to do the nearly impossible—ensure accessibility for all demographics by offering general tickets at $25 a person while also offering member, patron, and priority patron packages.
With the renovation project 70 percent complete, Adams Theater recently launched the Annual Fund to create “a sustaining flow of support” to allow the theater to keep presenting interesting, engaging, transformative programs with a global point of view. “It’s our goal to make Park Street a destination for the arts and a new niche in the expansive world of Berkshire arts and culture,” Moore says. While 60 percent of the program expenses are covered by proceeds from box office sales, the fundraising goal of $50,000 serves to bridge the remaining 40 percent gap.
To celebrate the launch, they are holding two exclusive events in 2024—a spring showcase in Adams and a New York City concert and reception featuring Two Piano Journey on Saturday, April 20. Annual Fund supporters who contribute $250 or more will be invited to at least one of the two events.
For more information on program offerings, residencies, and opportunities to support The Adams Theater, visit adamstheater.org.
