The Irish Rep's New Old Home View Full Caption

CHELSEA — The neighborhood's Irish theater is getting a massive makeover.

The Irish Rep, a theater company devoted to the work of Irish and Irish-American playwrights, is spending more than $5 million to renovate its Chelsea home.

In 2006, the landlord told the company to either buy or leave the space at 132 W. 22nd St., so the company raised $4.5 million to buy the building.

Now they have finally begun construction on a years-long transformation of their home of nearly two decades.

The new space will add a balcony, more wheelchair accessibility, a wider stage and more seats to the theater. The renovation will also create a rehearsal studio facing the street so passers by can get a glimpse of the actors and vice versa. Demolition of the old space began this fall, with the new space set to open in 2016.

The redesign by DUMBO’s Garrison Architects will make the former chemical warehouse more accessible, said co-founder Ciarán O’Reilly.

There will be "more steel," he said, but also classic features like a traditional rectangular stage.

"We both bend more toward having more traditional things," he said of himself and theater co-founder Charlotte Moore. "A magical place that when you get to and you sit down, it's a comforting place, so it feels welcoming and warm."

"But then as soon as the lights go out, it's all about what's on the stage," O’Reilly added.

While construction is underway, the Irish Rep is perfomring at the DR2 Theatre on East 15th Street. The company is currently showing "A Christmas Memory," a musical adaptation of Truman Capote’s short story, which wraps up on Jan. 4. Its next show, Hugh Leonard’s "Da," opens Jan. 14.

The company looks forward to their return to their new old home next year," O'Reilly said.

"All of the seats are going to be terrific seats," he said. "This one, it's going to be a very democratic institution."