FOH Truss Pros and Cons

Hello all,

My theatre is thinking of adding truss over proscenium stage's apron, All the way DS. We have a pretty deep stage, so i believe this would add a lot of options for hitting far US and other areas that we cant really hit from our catwalk due to our sound baffling.

What are your opinions on a truss over the apron? Pros? Cons?

Thanks!
@Zachary Tarantino In 1973 Hamilton, Ontario, Canada built its new PAC designed by a local architect with acoustic consulting by New York's Russell Johnson. The main hall originally sat 2183 on an orchestra level plus two balconies. At orchestra level the first four rows, AA - DD, were on our first forestage lift with the next four rows, EE - HH, on our second forestage lift. When both lifts were used for seating our first and second lighting coves were adequate for our stage. When the lifts were either serving as additional stage area and / or when our 17,800 pound acoustic wall was in and our symphony orchestra was occupying the lifts we added an approximately fifty foot wide truss flown from two 1 ton CM Load Stars. The truss was used extensively for additional down lighting on our symphony as well as for 300 voice choirs in front of our orchestra wall. If the prosc' was open we'd often have the first four rows of seating in storage and the first lift in use as a pit with seating on our second lift. Again the truss was EXTREMELY useful. The weak point was a lack of front lighting when both lifts were in use for additional staging or orchestral / choral concerts, We had only 14 20 amp circuits and a couple of 50 amp circuits up in our follow spot booths where we soon added 8 five degree Colortran ellipsoidals for additional front light.
Bottom LIne: Forestage truss; go for it, no brainer. Make it big, strong and include lots of power and DMX. And safety EVERYTHING!
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard
 
@Zachary Tarantino In 1973 Hamilton, Ontario, Canada built its new PAC designed by a local architect with acoustic consulting by New York's Russell Johnson. The main hall originally sat 2183 on an orchestra level plus two balconies. At orchestra level the first four rows, AA - DD, were on our first forestage lift with the next four rows, EE - HH, on our second forestage lift. When both lifts were used for seating our first and second lighting coves were adequate for our stage. When the lifts were either serving as additional stage area and / or when our 17,800 pound acoustic wall was in and our symphony orchestra was occupying the lifts we added an approximately fifty foot wide truss flown from two 1 ton CM Load Stars. The truss was used extensively for additional down lighting on our symphony as well as for 300 voice choirs in front of our orchestra wall. If the prosc' was open we'd often have the first four rows of seating in storage and the first lift in use as a pit with seating on our second lift. Again the truss was EXTREMELY useful. The weak point was a lack of front lighting when both lifts were in use for additional staging or orchestral / choral concerts, We had only 14 20 amp circuits and a couple of 50 amp circuits up in our follow spot booths where we soon added 8 five degree Colortran ellipsoidals for additional front light.
Bottom LIne: Forestage truss; go for it, no brainer. Make it big, strong and include lots of power and DMX. And safety EVERYTHING!
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard

Thanks!
 
I guess I'm in favor as I usually design in a catwalk over forestage, but close to main, fir high side and back light on foretstage (and rigging). But then I slso have 2 foh catwalks - one for forestage fronts and one for down stage, behind main. Unless the forestage us just a few feet in front of main, you really need two foh positions. Classic error in many hugh school theatres. And very frequently where a pit has been covered after initial design.
 
I guess I'm in favor as I usually design in a catwalk over forestage, but close to main, fir high side and back light on foretstage (and rigging). But then I slso have 2 foh catwalks - one for forestage fronts and one for down stage, behind main. Unless the forestage us just a few feet in front of main, you really need two foh positions. Classic error in many hugh school theatres. And very frequently where a pit has been covered after initial design.

Yea, our apron extends about 14ft past the proscenium..

Thanks!
 
Yea, our apron extends about 14ft past the proscenium..

Thanks!


Sounds like our apron. In the early 1990's, the theatre was first being designed from a 1948 movie house, a certain music organization really lobbied hard to have a large thrust out in front of the proscenium. Guess how many times they have rented the space in those ~25 years? Exactly zero.

Luckily, we have a huge semi-circular pipe grid that is suspended 20' above this thrust (and a Genie lift to access it). While it has its own quirks, I couldn't imagine not having it.
 
Just like lighting, these forestages get added but the sightlines die at the curtain line. I've seen a lot where someone added an apron and the balcony is worthless.
 
Sounds like our apron. In the early 1990's, the theatre was first being designed from a 1948 movie house, a certain music organization really lobbied hard to have a large thrust out in front of the proscenium. Guess how many times they have rented the space in those ~25 years? Exactly zero.

Luckily, we have a huge semi-circular pipe grid that is suspended 20' above this thrust (and a Genie lift to access it). While it has its own quirks, I couldn't imagine not having it.

Sounds a lot like our situation. We were a flat floor arena that opened in 1940. Then when the big arena opened up the space was turned into a theater. An organization wanted a thrust and so the first 8 rows can be removed to add an extra 18ft to the front of the stage. The firewall ended up sharing double duty as the acoustic shell. Everything was designed around that wall being down for their performances. So they perform 2 shows once a year for area elementary school students. And the full orchestra doesn't even fit in that space, so most of the previous conductors have had us leave the wall up. It doesn't sound nearly as good, but I don't think most of them cared since they were just playing for kids. Finally their latest conductor was complaining about the acoustics. He hated the way the room sounded his first year. So we explained everything and he started choosing pieces that don't need the grand piano and shrunk a couple of sections so it can all fit. Now he loves the room. It's nice to see it finally get used as intended after 25 years of crappy hand me down wenger high school shell pieces.
 

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