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A sweeping remote landscape in Northern California is perhaps the last place one would expect to find a live performance venue. And that’s exactly the reason for The Line. The temporary structure, by Sacramento-based REgroup, democratizes the theatre-going experience with its profoundly minimal design. It also attempts to “rethink what the role of the rural can be and acts as an armature for a new type of ‘rural performance.’ ”

“The Line sends the message that less is more. You can do something so powerful with very little. It’s not by any means over-designed.”
Karim Rashid, AZ Awards 2021 Juror

Constructed entirely from pressure-treated lumber and clad in MDO plywood, the 22.8-metre-by-1.2-metre platform appears as a pure white ribbon stretched taut across an otherwise empty field. While its simplicity is striking, it’s also pragmatic: REgroup was given a budget of less than US$5,000.

Taking a restrained, thoughtful and responsible approach, the architects selected only locally sourced wood-based materials that are biodegradable or recyclable. Further, the narrow stage is supported by pier footings to lift it off the ground, meaning it has little impact on the landscape when in use and will leave little trace of its existence once removed.

With its intentionally “generic” quality, The Line has been employed as a venue for everything from music and arts events to weddings, subsequently spurring new micro-economic opportunities in the community. Far from the glitz and glam of Broadway in New York, London’s West End and Milan’s Fashion Week, The Line successfully flips the narrative of where and how the spectacle of theatre can be experienced and by whom.

Team Gary Lewis and Julia Lewis

Winner: Temporary and Experiential Installations
AZ Awards 2021 Winner: The Line

A sweeping remote landscape in Northern California is perhaps the last place one would expect to find a live performance venue.

Explore more Award Winners

2024
WinnerTemporary and Experiential Installations
Location
Winnipeg, Canada
Firms
Thomas Cheney Architects (Seattle, U.S.) with Sputnik Architecture (Winnipeg, Canada), The Forks Renewal Corporation, DVW Bobcat and Fête Jockey Events (Winnipeg, Canada)
2014
People’s ChoiceTemporary and Experiential Installations
Location
New York
Firm
Davidson Rafailidis, Buffalo
Team
Stephanie Davidson and Georg Rafailidis with Jia Ma and Aleksandr Marchuk
2021
Award of MeritTemporary and Experiential Installations
Award of MeritSocial Good
Location
Bogotá, Colombia
Firms
Sociedad Colombiana de Arquitectos (Colombia), TALLER Architects (Colombia) and Colab-19 (Colombia)