The Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center is part of the growth and opportunities taking place in Stowe and at the development of Spruce Peak at Stowe.  Seen as a major, all season resort community, guided by a master plan which includes hotels, a base lodge, mountain cabins, a limited number of private homes, a golf club with a clubhouse, and more, the Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center was created to be a focal point and gathering place for everyone in the region.

The artistic programming was designed to be equally balanced over all seasons, with Act I programming running from December to April and Act II programming running from June to October, with special events and residencies in between times each season.  The performing arts center is envisioned as a venue for a wide and diverse spectrum of events including theatre, all styles of music, dance, film, lectures and variety performances, as well as rental events.
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A 501(c)(3) public organization, the 420-seat theatre was based on the simple volumes and large sheltering roofs which unify the entire Spruce Peak project. The performance space is a simple barn-like rectangle with a heavy timber, truss roof, low slope floor, and minimal separation between the audience and the stage. Planned with an adjustable proscenium which can open as wide as the auditorium, the space provides flexibility that includes the extension of seating onto the stage, the use of the box seating areas for performers and musicians, and the opportunity for reception and banquet functions both on and off stage.

The building integrates a tension grid technical space over the stage for lighting and scenery, a lighting bridge and catwalk over the auditorium, and an equipment room for sound, projection and recording.  Support space includes a public lobby oriented towards the hotel and base lodge as well as dressing rooms, a green room, a coat room, and the box office.

In keeping with the architecture and materials of Spruce Peak, the performing arts center is clad in red cedar shingles, with a cedar frieze, columns and fascias, pine soffit, and dark framed windows. The interior of the lobby and auditorium are finished in warm Douglas Fir panels, and the public space is finished in Vermont green slate. A custom chandelier, by local blacksmith and artist Richard Spreda will punctuate the tall, truss- roofed lobby.  A public gallery area off the main lobby will feature ever changing exhibits of visual art work by Vermont artists as well as regional and international artists.

Sited at the foot of Mount Mansfield, the performing arts center will integrate into the assembly of buildings at Spruce Peak, which form this unique development while concurrently functioning as an iconic structure housing a place of community celebration, and entertainment.