Pulling Back the Curtain

Updating the Wolf Trap Experience

Thanks to private philanthropy and collaboration with our National Park Service partners, in 2020, while our stages were dark, Wolf Trap embarked on extensive updates to backstage artist areas, upgrades to the theatrical systems, and most recently, added center aisles and a crossover aisle in the orchestra section.

The National Park Service, in turn, has achieved the spectacular recladding of the Filene Center exterior in signature Douglas Fir. The Filene Center now coordinates beautifully with the four pavilions around the Park campus, which also debuted last summer and were funded by private philanthropy as part of the Campaign.

Peeking Behind the Scenes

This past June, just as the summer season was beginning, Wolf Trap members were invited to take a peek at the marvelous transformation backstage and hear from Foundation and Park leadership.

Those who had attended past Filene Center backstage tours were astonished by the renovations. In stark contrast to the dated, institutional quality of the former lower-level artist areas, the space now incorporates bright, contemporary décor and welcomes artists and visitors with thoughtful design and modern amenities with touches that bring to life Wolf Trap’s natural beauty.  

Among the features are elements that provide a sense of Wolf Trap’s story, so that visiting artists have a sense of Wolf Trap’s identity and impact. This includes a wall-sized aerial graphic of the Park showcasing a map of the 100 acres and its walking trails.

Interior walls are made of rich Douglas Fir paneling reclaimed from the Filene Center recladding project, and vivid aluminum large-format photographs of past performances flank the hallways.

The café also includes design nods to the treasured tradition of picnicking at Wolf Trap, with a patchwork of picnic blankets evoked in the flooring tile, and a highly pixilated abstract wall graphic of patrons on the Lawn.

Valuing Our Artists

Wolf Trap Foundation President and CEO Arvind Manocha addressed the members at the tours and shared context for the improvements at the Filene Center and around the Park that have been years in the making, as well as a longer-range vision that has been developed in consultation with our Park Service colleagues. He highlighted the changes backstage, which debuted last summer during the 50^th Anniversary season, as a way to show artists that Wolf Trap prioritizes them and values their experience.

“We recognize for 50 years, our artists have been at the heart of the Wolf Trap experience, and as we are making changes and investments, the artists have to be center stage in our plans. That's why we're all here,” Manocha noted. “The improvements made to the backstage area are already making their lives and their experiences with Wolf Trap better.”

Manocha went on to say, “Last summer the artists who came here were absolutely blown away. Many said to us, ‘Our whole sector has been dark for 12 to 18 months. We haven't been able to perform in front of audiences…and the people of this community made all these improvements during this dark period.’ It was very emotional. And a lot of artists were saying, ‘This is why we love Wolf Trap, because we know the people of this community care so much about us.’”

Now, as Wolf Trap has returned to a full season of full capacity concerts, many more artists are having their first exposure to the newly refurbished artists’ areas, and they are noting the improvements.

From Bonnie Raitt, to Kool & The Gang, to Ben Rector, Wolf Trap summer 2022 artists have expressed to their fans on stage and online how beautiful the new backstage at the Filene Center is—beauty that was made possible by the power of philanthropy.

Standing Stronger Together

Collaboration between Wolf Trap Foundation and our National Park Service partners has been key to realizing these improvements.

Acting Park Superintendent Ken Bigley is grateful for Wolf Trap Foundation members’ dedication and impact: “It's the passion, it's the advocacy, it's the stewardship; it's the love and the enthusiasm that our supporters have. That's what makes the Foundation strong. I think it's what makes the National Park Service so strong. And I think it's what has brought us to this very successful place in our partnership.”

Celebrating Philanthropy and Community

To commemorate and celebrate this monumental investment in our facilities, a new donor recognition wall, honoring Foundation donors who have committed $100,000 or more to the Campaign for Wolf Trap: Our Next Chapter was unveiled backstage on May 24.

Campaign Co-chairs Hillary Baltimore and Karen Schaufeld addressed the assembled group of donors and thanked them for their impactful and trailblazing support, investing in Wolf Trap during a time of uncertainty and pressing forward with ambition.

Just as the backstage improvements are designed to tell the Wolf Trap story, the custom donor wall, which is located in the main reception room, communicates a fundamental part of Wolf Trap’s uniqueness: a foundation rooted in philanthropy that continues. In fact, the wall’s flexible design can accommodate additional names as more donors come forward in support of Wolf Trap’s future.

Some may wonder why such recognition is located in a relatively private space inhabited primarily by artists and support crews.

Manocha notes, “There's a very particular reason it's here. This is the area that our artists see every day when they're with us, when they're performing, when they're getting ready, when they're coming through the building; this whole downstairs area is really reserved for them. And we thought it was so important because now donors—linked in love and appreciation of the music and the artistry on stage—are here. How better to convey a sense of philanthropy and community to our artists? This is a way for everyone to know that people and organizations in this community got together to make all of this possible.”