New Space

[Sayen]

Ooof, one other - along with the planning, make sure the sub contractors are actually skilled in theatrical installations, which are a very different beast. One school I was at had a lighting system installed by the electrical company on contract with the district - turned out that company had no idea what was required, and among other things they decided to custom build stage pin connectors. Presumably they have never heard of companies like ETC or Altman. The district used the excuse that the company had the lowest bid.

Find out what the bidding rules are in your state, and gather some bids from professional installers. Odds are they'll be competitive.

If all of this seems like a lot, it is, but if your installation is like many that I've come across the only person who will have the background in theater and actually care about the final product is going to be the teacher. It's a part time job, but you can head off many disasters down the road.

 

[wfor]

There is a nice new space proposed for a high school in my area too. I'm worried its going to turn out a lot like an audtorium near here.

The two most important things have already been said a thousand times:

1. Theatre Consultant
2. Theatrical Installer

Here's some issues I've seen that tip off the designer didn't know what they were doing:

-In one audtorium all the doors leading into the house are outside doors, with the top half glass.
-At least one FOH catwalk is extremely important
-The weirdest porportions can come up with installs that don't know what they're doing. The same place with the doors is the widest theatre ever, probably seats 800, and has a stage thats sort of wide, and about 11 feet tall...
-There's wierd code someplaces that requires a wheelchair elevator to the stage. Make sure there is a ramp or elevator somewhere else so this doesn't happen.
-Put in as many mic sends and circuits as you can

-Most importantly, make sure they don't put tile on your floor, and "spot lights" (big tracklights) on your ceiling.

 

[museav]

There's wierd code someplaces that requires a wheelchair elevator to the stage. Make sure there is a ramp or elevator somewhere else so this doesn't happen.

That's the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) which can affect access, seating, exiting, assistive listening, plumbing fixture heights and numerous other aspects of a building or space.

 

[Cheever]

I know this has been said a bajillion times, but a theatre consultant is a must in the very least. I work in a space that was obviously not built with the advice or consultation of a theatre person in any vague sense of the word. It is annoying to say the least.