New Theater Recommendations?

[beachcombah15]

SET YOUR PRIORITIES!

Also, MAKE IT USER FRIENDLY! While also having the possibility for advanced control. *This will help you tremendously when your school districts Board of Education decides to hold their meetings at this spectacular new space. Only problem is during one of these meetings, someone has a powerpoint they want to show, only problem is, they can't figure out how to lower the projection screen, next thing you know you end up with some flying in a cyc in the middle of their desk set up because it kind of looked like a proj. screen.

 

[museav]

This is all happening faster than I originally thought . They are talking breaking ground this summer already!

Unless the goal is to issue a separate site package or something like that, then that goal seems a bit ambitious given the requirements usually associated with public bids. They typically have to advertise and bid the Architect and Consultants (either all as one team through the Architect or an Architect and some Consultants directly) and that usually requires a minimum 30 day public bid, then Contract award - and that is if they do not go through a preliminary qualifications round and then a 'shortlist' of 3 or 4 finalists, a very common process. Figure at least 30 days for Contractor bidding, a couple of weeks for Contract award and maybe 2 to 4 weeks for mobilization. So maybe 14-16 weeks plus the time for design. Assuming that "this summer" means by the end of August and it is mid February, that leaves maybe 12 weeks for design from start to finish, including reviews, approvals and coordination. Everybody is really going to have to be on their game for that to happen, something that is usually very difficult when having to have Contracts approved by Boards at monthly meetings, etc. For example, you may have to wait a month or more for anything to actually be on the Board's Agenda for a meeting and discussed, a couple of those and the schedule is really off.

Added: Just to be clear, I'm not saying that it is impossible, just that everyone is going to have to be 'on their game' and that includes the people handling the 'red tape' aspects. Any delays or snags anywhere could make that schedule impractical.

The suggestions to start figuring out your needs and priorities are great. In my experience, the more you can show how things affect the operation of the facility and the education of the students, the more likely to have others listen. You might also want to start researching any political or management issues. I've had school districts that essentially use an existing theatre as standard for all others, they liked it and try to recreate it for any new facilities. I've had other school districts that wouldn't let new facilities be much improved over any existing facilities, they were concerned that the students and parents at other schools would complain if a new school was too much better. I've had school districts resist improvements simply because they had always done it some other way (it was so hard not to ask them if their friends jumped off a bridge, would they follow?). If there are any such barriers to overcome, it is best to find them out as early as possible.


A suggestion, but one of the first things usually done for any construction project is a Program. This is often done by the Architect and is their way of establishing the needs for the building from the size and types of spaces to how they need to relate. However, the Architectural Programs often address specialty trades on a very superficial level, they may note that the theatre needs theatrical lighting or wing space or a sound system, but unless there are all the Consultants involved, it usually does not go into any detail on these issues. You can get ahead of the game by doing your own internal Program. Unless there is a specific reason to do so, don't focus on the equipment specifics but rather on the functionality and general needs. They don't need to know right away which spotlights you want but they do need to know that you need a certain amount of space in certain locations with certain access whether the spots go in initially or not. The idea here is to not get lost in the details that will be worked out in design but instead to make sure the 'big ideas' are identified so they can get into the design process in the first place. For example, if you want a separate amp and/or dimmer room near the stage then identify that, a general location and maybe an approximate size. The exact size and location and the equipment in it can be figured out later but it will be much easier to get the space at all if it is identified up front rather than trying to add it later.

 

[mixmaster]

So my dream has come true, and we are building a new theater. We are in the planning stages right now, and my superintendent wants a list of recommendations. I have been working out of the loop for a long time...an auditeria <sigh>, so I don't even know where to begin.

It appears that we are looking at a house size of about 500-600 (though I am not sure of that). No balcony. Your generic high school new construction. It will have to be multipurpose for theater productions, choir/band/orchestra concerts, community groups, etc. I am sure if I don't fight well, I'll get screwed in the process. I want to know everything.

What do you have that you can't live without?
What do you really wish you would have done?
What mistakes can you help me avoid?
What was a huge waste of time and money?
What questions should I be asking myself that I haven't thought of?

And specifics... How much electricity? What kind of boards (sound and light)? How many dimmers? Fly system: yes or no. How much storage space? What kind of seats?

I am just a little overwhelmed.

Help!

By now you've gotten plenty of recomendations for designers, and consultants, and the like. I would second all that has been said, and will try to answer some of your specific questions with ideas to think about.

Thing's I can't live without:
Power. Amps need it, Dimmers need it, motors need it. All of these need lots of power, and usually don't play well with others. Motors and dimmers can inject lots of noise into the AC feed that will play heck with your sound system. The best circumstance is at least 2 feeds to the building so that all the sound system wiring can be completely separate from lighting/motors/mechanicals, all the way back to the building entrance. Multiple circuits from the sound system power should be located on stage, the booth, the FOH mix position, and the amp racks, and should be distinguished by a different color outlet or something. If this is to be a Road House, some sort of power tie in for the incoming act is also necessary.
Paperwork. Blueprints are nice but you should definitely have a copy of the final as-builts, and the operator manuals for every piece of equipment remotely connected with the venue, as well as any warranty documentation, from the manufacture or the installer.
Conduit. Lots of it, big sizes. As popular as Cat 5 or 6 network cable and fiber-optics is, eventually a new technology is going to come around and if you don't have the conduit buried, then installing an infrasturcture to support whatever the new technology becomes more expensive than the up front cost of bigger conduits.
Comms. Lots of stations and even more points for beltpacks. Comms in the catwalks let the LD talk to the guys in the cats during a focus without yelling, comms on the fly rail and up on the weight bridge let the flymen and loaders communicate, comms in the dressing rooms or green room give the stage manage the ability to call warning cues to people in the dressing rooms.

What do I wish would have been done differently?
A MIX POSITION IN THE HOUSE!!! Both my theaters were designed with booths for sound and lights. You can't hear what you are mixing, and no, booth monitors are not an acceptable substitute. Lighting can go in a booth IF it has a good view of the stage, amps and system processors could go in a booth, but the mixer itself needs to be able to be out in the house. I recently installed a snake to the back wall of our bigger venue with a multipin connector so I can plug in a console in the house for my big shows and mix from the booth for simple gigs, but even that compromise is less than ideal.
I wish we had access to the catwalks from the stage. My high school theater had a ladder in the booth, and a ladder in a closet off stage left. I miss being able to take fixtures from the storage by the stage and run straight up to the cats. Now I have to go from the stage to the lobby, up four flights of stairs to the booth at the top of the balcony, and then a ladder up to the cats.
Infrastructure is key. Most everything I wish would have been done differently could be easily corrected if there was more power, bigger conduits, and better access. Then it's just a matter of keeping up with technology, and that's hard to predict.

Biggest waste of time and money at this stage is not thinking ahead. Second biggest waste of time and money would be analog control equipment. Think digital lightboard, digital soundboard, network everything. Analog is on it's way out, and if you sit down and crunch the numbers you get more bang for the buck with a digital console in the sound booth. Remember, it's a lot easier to bury the extra cost in you original project than try to find the funds for an upgrade later.
The biggest mistake you can avoid right now is going with the low bidder to save money.

Specifics
Electricity
Your whoever helps you design the lighting rig for your space will be able tell you how much power the dimmer racks need. Your speaker system will determine the number of amplifiers you need, most amplifiers will spec how much they draw at peak output, and from there you can figure how much juice you need. Your electrician can help you with the figures based on the final gear that you chose, but don't forget to figure in some extra for safety.
You'll need several circiuts on stage for instruments, from the same source as the rest of the sound system, and several convenience outlets.

I already mentioned that I would recommend digital boards, and Yamaha is a big name in that area, although not the best. Allen and Heath makes excellent equipment and just introduced a small format digital that is going to give the Yamaha LS9-32 a run for it's money (about time). Soundcraft also has a number of fine offerings both analog and large format digital, but pricey. Other brands that will generally be good include QSC, Crown, JBL, EAW, EV, Shure, Audix , and Sennhieser. I'm not currently enough of a lighting guy to be current on in that world, however I've had several bad experiences with Leprechaun, and several good experiences with EDI and Strand.
Regardless of the brand, your needs should determine you budget, not the other way around. Otherwise you will end up with cheap gear that can't do anything.

You can't have too much storage space. Just make sure that everything has double doors and locks. Make sure you have a shop, and a workbench with good light and a couple outlets for bench work.

I would lean towards a fly rig of some kind. I'm a fan of a counterweight system WITH A WEIGHT BRIDGE. Winches can be noisy and slow. Most of our fly gear is from Secoa, and has seen several years of neglect (we're trying to correct that) but continues to function well. We've also received good service from them.

FWIW
Matt

 

[fredthe]

One seemingly minor item, that I would recommend putting in any bid document... a requirement to provide ALL necessary configuration software and passwords for any equipment provided. Especially, any dealer configured installation and maintenance passwords should be provided at the end of any warrenty period.

We have a very nice DBX speaker processor that we can't make any changes to because we don't have the password. Which is fine while the system is still under the installation warranty (2 years). But after that, with things as they are we will be forced to pay the original installation company for any changes. Same for our A/V control system... without the passwords, we are locked to one company.

With more things being computer based, it's important to make sure that you won't be locked to the installation company.

 

[museav]

One seemingly minor item, that I would recommend putting in any bid document... a requirement to provide ALL necessary configuration software and passwords for any equipment provided. Especially, any dealer configured installation and maintenance passwords should be provided at the end of any warrenty period.

We have a very nice DBX speaker processor that we can't make any changes to because we don't have the password. Which is fine while the system is still under the installation warranty (2 years). But after that, with things as they are we will be forced to pay the original installation company for any changes. Same for our A/V control system... without the passwords, we are locked to one company.

With more things being computer based, it's important to make sure that you won't be locked to the installation company.

Too many people have been burned by this. My specs require that the passwords, programming and the software used for programming be provided on CD-R as part of the close-out documents. However, I have a current client who unfortunately accepted the systems and paid the Contractor prior to getting those documents so now their only direct recourse would be to sue the Contractor to get them. So it isn't just putting it in the specs, it is making sure you get the information before releasing the Contract.

The other side to this is the the Contractor can only be responsible for their work. If you make any changes and then the Contractor has to do anything, such as replace a bad DSP device, then they may reload the original programming. They may also load programming they know worked as part of any troubleshooting. Having seen a system suffer catastrophic failure due to an Owner's representative making adjustments to the signal processing, there is also an issue of making any revisions during a system warranty period. Contractors have a legitimate argument that changes made to the processing could negatively impact the system and thus may release them from fully supporting the warranty.

Also, my specifications make it clear that all documentation provided is solely for the use in supporting that system, it should not be reused for other uses. That is the result of a bad experience years ago where a University Client kept wanting updates and fixes to the programming that it turned out arose as a result of their using our programming and design in systems for which we were not even involved.