New Space

[theprofessor172]

I've just learned that my high school is in line to receive a complete renovation of our 40+ year old theatre space. Are there any recommendations, acoustic, technical, or otherwise, that you guys can make?

[museav]

Originally Posted by theprofessor172

I've just learned that my high school is in line to receive a complete renovation of our 40+ year old theatre space. Are there any recommendations, acoustic, technical, or otherwise, that you guys can make?

That's just a wee bit of a general question and any responses could vary greatly depending upon the existing systems and physical space, the extent of the renovation, the envisioned general use and functionality of the space, the project budget and many other factors.

While it is difficult to provide specific comments or recommendations without a great deal more information, in general I recommend that you lobby to get involved in the overall project planning and design as early possible and also to get the appropriate professional consultants/designers engaged as early as possible. Also start identifying and prioritizing your needs and goals, while it is great to 'shoot for the moon', in my experience if you can show that there was some concentrated planning and a 'reality check' performed in advance of starting to identify your needs then that often goes a long way towards actually getting what you really need.

[icewolf08]

Given the general nature of your question, I think the best advice to offer is this: Make sure that the school/district/city hires a real theatre consultant. It is amazing how many theatres get built without a consultant who actually works on theatres. Having a real theatre consultant on the team will help minimize any wonkyness that tends to get built into many theatres.

[renegadeblack]

Make sure you get a cat walk! I wish so bad that I had one!

[Van]

I can't emphasize enough the importance of Icewolfs statement. Getting a Qualified Theatrical consultant is INCREDIBLY important. If possible have the school district interview and hire their own rather than just going with the first suggestion of the architects or GC. Often Arch's and GC's have their own consultants on retainer, and while this is convieniant < misspelled the hell out of that never could remeber how to speel that word, and my spell check is offline, maybe I should convert to Firefox.> it is not always the best thing for the venue. A cookie cutter plan or bill of goods is not way to go most times. There are huge advances in the last 40 years some of which may or may not easily "shoe horn" into your space. It's better to get a lot of little good up grades then two big upgrades that leave you scratching your head.
What part of the Country are you in ? < yes, I ended a sentence in a preposistion but it's ok I read a Treatise recently which said " ending a sentence in a preposistion or preposistional phrase is completely acceptable especially when the machinations necessary to avoid doing so border on the ridiculous..." >
Their may be several folks who could suggest some good Theatrical consultants and provide advice about bad ones. I suggest they do this in PM rather than open forum if only to avoid possible Libel or slander charges.
There are also several threads on here dealing specifically with folks who have recently upgraded facilities so try the search function, if you haven't already, and read those threads. Even if they are about a new facility you might be able to glean some good info for your upgrade.

[museav]

Admittedly some self interest here, but also do not necessarily limit yourself to a single Theatre Consulting firm. Only the larger Theatre Consulting firms can really provide in-house expertise in every facet from basic space planning to rigging, lighting, audio and acoustics. Do not let yourself get pushed into using a firm that you feel is not qualified in all areas involved. If that happens, you may be better served to have multiple firms qualified in specific disciplines rather than a single firm qualified in some areas but not as qualified in others.

This is actually how many theatre consulting firms work, they are either formal collaborations of several otherwise independent consultants in various disciplines or they are firms that routinely team with other consultants. This is how I do much of my theatre work, teaming with one or more other consultants whose expertise complements mine so that we can provide a better overall level of service than any one of us alone.

[derekleffew]

I read an interesting point on the stagecraft list about conflicts between technicians and consultants. Every technician thinks he could have done a better job than the venue's designers. I've said before I've never worked in a space where I thought something should have been designed differently. The consultant made the point that the building will, most-likely, outlive its occupants. While a user may think that the second electric should have been 2' farther upstage, it's the Theatre Consultant's job to look at the larger picture. Moving the electric upstage might have cost the venue two extra urinals in the men's room. Which is more important in the grand scheme?

Start at American Society of Theatre Consultants to locate a Theatre Consultant appropriate to your needs.

[museav]

Originally Posted by derekleffew

I read an interesting point on the stagecraft list about conflicts between technicians and consultants. Every technician thinks he could have done a better job than the venue's designers. I've said before I've never worked in a space where I thought something should have been designed differently. The consultant made the point that the building will, most-likely, outlive its occupants.

Very true. The other situation that often arises is that the Consultant may agree with the Technician but may decide to, or be forced to, compromise on certain issues in order to not compromise on others.

One of the worst situations is when different groups within the "Owner's" team have significantly different visions for the facility that are never reconciled. Developing and documenting a common vision and expectation for a project can be critical to the overall success of the project. An Architect or Consultant will often call this effort where the project expectations and requirements are defined a Needs Analysis or Programming. The more internal coordination and development of the goals and expectations, and reconciling of any differences, that can be achieved in advance, the more likely for everyone involved to have the same visions and goals throughout the project and to have a successful result.

Start at American Society of Theatre Consultants to locate a Theatre Consultant appropriate to your needs.

A very good suggestion, if you identified where you are located people may also be able to suggest some firms in that area, although with modern communications being physically local is no longer the issue it once was.

[soundlight]

As has been said, make sure to hire a real theatre consultant.

Also, they'll hopefully spec this, but have at least 2 independent ethernet networks run in the space that are localized to the space (not run elsewhere in the school or connected to the school's network at all), one for sound and one for lighting. With terminations all over the place. This so that when the technology becomes affordable, if it isn't yet for the school, it's very easy to implement it.

[derekleffew]

Originally Posted by museav

...One of the worst situations is when different groups within the "Owner's" team have significantly different visions for the facility that are never reconciled. ...

Classic example. The New York State Theatre, recently renamed the David H. Koch Theater. Primary tenant (for whom the theatre was built in 1964) is the New York City Ballet, which requires a sprung stage floor. Secondary tenant is the New York City Opera, which desires a stiff floor for acoustics and to be able to roll heavy scenic pieces. For years the NYCO has tried to find an alternative venue, or raise funds to build its own. There may be truth in the old adage "A multi-purpose space is a no-purpose space" after all.