Another - no. 4 of 6 currently in Mississippi

Stage topped out. Pretty clear loft and head block beam layout. (Lower beam pockets for shop combo black box roof.) Wall top at 52'. Also front fill speaker niches at stage edge.

 

I agree. I'm much more accustomed to seeing sloped floor poured at end. This one https://www.controlbooth.com/threads/a-new-hs-theatre-under-construction.44817/ had balcony and overhead finished and painted before they poured the main floor.

Was a pain with early floor because they needed junction box layout for aisle lights - a treacherous issue no matter when in construction - very early.

Then the one down the road that had 80' stage complete with roof deck and channel grid in place, and now spiral stairs, but hardly footings placed for 1200 seat auditorium.

I think the sequencing and staging of these is fascinating, and influenced by so many factors, from trees, access, existing buildings, other work in the area (meaning availability of masons usually - a difficult issue these days), floor finishes (I don't know if this one is sealed concrete floor but it will be scarred if it is) and the whim and experience or lack thereof on the superintendents part.

 

Seeing this stuff always makes me interested in wanting to be apart of it.

Yet the work and schooling that goes into designing and consulting is just out of my scope.

Forever a hands on guy.

 

I guess since I'm retiring I can be a little more candid. As far as schooling, specialized in lighting but took set and costume design courses. I did take Izenour's classes but those were far from how to be a consultant. So, forget the schooling.

Like so many things, it's a lot client management. Like promising to make a deadline, knowing you won't, and making the client feel good and happy when you do deliver the drawings well past the deadline. It's a learned essential skill.

A lot is learning how the construction process works - the delivery of the building and the chain of command and floow of paper (or e-docs today) Just the whole process took me 5 years or so to figure out, and I'm still struggling with the electronic methods.

Figuring out what the users want and need and reconciling with budget is probably the biggest design challenge. After that, if you can draft, copy what others have done at first. And stay focused on the end product.

Most of all, I early on adopted the "owners best interest" as the guiding principle. When I get stuck, that is what I ask myself.

And just look and listen and watch.

Probably a few other lessons to learn but honestly, you could be surprised.

As often as I have thought about doing something else, like selling theatre stuff, I've never gotten too serious about changing. (If I could have changed to being a forest ranger, I might have done that.).