@BillConnerFASTC A few comments: Having an enclosed booth, at least one capable of being open or closed, is useful in many situations for instance: When having to train a guest / replacement / standby operator. When director's wish to visit and observe over the course of a run without a cast's knowledge until performance's end. When you need to add a noisy spotlight for the mayor or President Trump's visit. If there's space and budget, and SYMMETRY IS IMPORTANT, why not bounce this notion off her / him?Working on a private HS, new 450 seat theatre. I showed an enclosed lighting control room for two positions - lights and dm or whatever - and open for sound. Architect thinks both should be open because he doesn't like asymmetrical look.
Do you think lighting control should be enclosed?
@BillConnerFASTC Most times I've been involved with this sort of configuration, the booths have been a floor above the rear rows of the balconies in venues with only a single balcony. Dimmers have been in a rack room beyond the prosc' and in a room three or four stories up adjacent to a wardrobe or costume storage room thus not contributing noise to the audience or performance portions of the building. Likewise amplifier racks were at the second dressing room level one story above stage level. Racks in booths were limited to a lighting control rack, definitely sans dimmers, with a mic and line level patch rack also housing the head-end of the stereo and mono production monitor system. Because of physical convenience in at least two venues, a rack housing the FOH recall chimes, lobby amp, 'God mic' and booth monitor amps was housed in one of the spot booths on both ends of the symmetrical suite. In at least two theatres, amplifiers and associated electronics for facility wide monitor and paging were in the SM's office next to star dressing rooms at stage level off SR. In general, noisy items requiring HVAC were backstage above deck level and beyond the side walls of the stage. Equipment racks operating more or less silently were permitted within booth areas only when it made good sense and was not an impediment to a happy booth life. One theatre contained fourteen (14!) booths spread over 6 elevations [Courtesy of several of your FASTC brethren from a rock in New York] The venue reminded me of 'Fiddler On The Roof' "with one more leading nowhere just for show" but I had to admit they had ALL their foreseeable options covered including at least 3 dedicated projection booths in case you wanted to front project full width scenes prosc' to prosc' from Pani's in booths between the 2nd and 3rd balconies with a larger booth on the CL and smaller booths on each 1/4 line PLUS a fourth projection booth on the CL at a higher elevation exclusively for the projection of 'Surtitles'.Security is handled that because of existing construction the control area is nearly a floor above seating (so stairs/elevator existing).
So simply a question of is it necessary to enclose lighting op and possibly sm for chatter.
I am thinking about exactly what you suggest Ron - two enclosed rooms flanking a center sound control area. Probably wide sound area - 15' or so - and reverse wedge enclosed rooms - 10-12' facing stage. Thought about sound racks in one of enclosed rooms. Maybe lighting rack too (network switch and patch).
@Jay Ashworth Possibly we need to steer our thinking back to @BillConnerFASTC 's original problem / query: Dealing with his architect who's priority is SYMMETRY. We're veering off-topic into sensibilities, practicalities and common sense (By no means bad concerns) but we are straying from Mr. Conner's original query.Open/Closed/Open.
Put sound nearest center in one open, and followspots at the ends -- assuming they're quiet enough. Lights and SM can go in the middle.
Being off center a little shouldn't be fatal for sound, since in a wide room, you have no business mixing in stereo anyway.
I like everything to be open... and I want to be as close to the audience with both as possible. Open air is always best in my world. When I taught I always wanted the students to be in the room with me and be seeing what the audience is seeing.
One booth configuration I liked though IF you must go booth... put a glass sliding wall in like this:
https://goo.gl/images/7nt2jy
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