What does a theatre cost to build these days?

[RonHebbard]

My "office" is in what was originally purposed as a water heater closet and laundry room, complete with two floor drains. About every other month or so I find myself dumping a gallon of water down the drain to stop the poo smell.

When I wrote that, I wondered if anyone would relate to it. Thank you.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard.

 

[RonHebbard]

Frequent question for me - what does a theatre cost. At the (very) low end, I designed a project for a state park in Mississippi. Almost 600 seats, good sized stage but dead hung soft goods, some tracks for scenery, and catwalks over the stage for lighting. Very functional place and on the rare occasions I meet someone that has seen or used it, it gets good reviews - for function. It is based around a butler building, and luckily was covered in kudzu within a few years. $2.1m when built, I estimate $3.4m today. (Total project cost - construction, equipment, fees - except land.) The theatre systems and equipment - lighting, rigging sound, and seats - about half the cost.

Using that as a model did one few years later for a private school in Jackson MS - 465 seats - custom structure versus pre-engineered building - $3.1m then, $5m today.

These are both low, but the private school loves theirs and I have heard good things from the few outsiders that have used it. I didn't cave into emaciated systems on either of these. IIRC both are two rack systems with over 100 focusing units and good sound systems, pleasant seats, high quality curtains and tracks, good stage floors, etc. Adding a rigged stage, manual counterweight, to either of these would probably add $1 to 1.5m today.

To build a workable, functional theatre, with equipment and systems that wouldn't make us all here - at CB - run away, on a very slim budget like the above, requires starting from scratch with that in mind. It takes a building system like pre-engineered or precast concrete, and every choice optimized to work within the natural constraints of those system choices. No room for whimsy or digging in heels.

Now, if I had the choice, I'd say your project is $15-18m, and have some fun. Naw, let's ask for $20m.

It must be catching. Two calls from architects today asking this very question.

It must be catching. Two calls from architects today asking this very question.

It must be catching. Two calls from architects today asking this very question.

When I wrote that, I wondered if anyone would relate to it. Thank you.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard.

In the U.S., do you have to build all of your buildings to LEEDS Gold standards?
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard.

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

No. It's an owner decision, and varies widely. Some governments legislate for all their buildings, maybe some level not necessarily gold, some try to avoid it. It actually has very little impact on the auditorium and stage, with the exception of stage floor paint. What I like to use doesn't quite meet the VOC levels. (I usually get it based on explaining the need to repaint much more frequently if an acceptable paint is used, defeating the purpose. Once resorted to having floor panels pre-painted.)

 

[RonHebbard]

No. It's an owner decision, and varies widely. Some governments legislate for all their buildings, maybe some level not necessarily gold, some try to avoid it. It actually has very little impact on the auditorium and stage, with the exception of stage floor paint. What I like to use doesn't quite meet the VOC levels. (I usually get it based on explaining the need to repaint much more frequently if an acceptable paint is used, defeating the purpose. Once resorted to having floor panels pre-painted.)

LEED's certification is what lead to systems to keep floor traps wet in our area.
In the case of the last theatre I built, they used electrical timers controlling small solenoid valves to inject cold water into the traps. There was fairly clever piping employed to ensure a single solenoid would disperse water equally to all of the traps in a given area: One solenoid valve backstage and another for the seven washrooms in the lobby.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard.

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

Trap primers, or properly trap seal primers, have been around for a long time. They have been required by code for some traps long before LEED, so I'm not sure what has changed in theatres you've built.

To Strad - pour some mineral oil into the drains next time you refill with water. The idea is to "float" the oil and prevent evaporation of the trap seal (the water). I had a servant's toilet in the basement long unused. Every 2-4 months I'd smell sewer gas and have to carry a bucket of water down to it. Then I heard about the mineral oil and tried that. Lasted years until I started to remodel basement (I got the toilet out and coal bin sides out; maybe someday I'll finish it. I do have nice drawings for it.)

 

[venuetech]

My "office" is in what was originally purposed as a water heater closet and laundry room, complete with two floor drains. About every other month or so I find myself dumping a gallon of water down the drain to stop the poo smell.

Add a bit of mineral or vegetable oil (after the water) to each floor drain to slow the evaporation.

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

Add a bit of mineral or vegetable oil (after the water) to each floor drain to slow the evaporation.

That's a terrific idea.

 

[firewater88]

Our stand alone 1221 seat theatre with full fly, 41 line sets, orchestra shell, motorized pit, shop, 2 rehearsal/meeting rooms, full lobby, artist studio, production office, 12x12 recording booth, yada, yada, yada cost 13 million 12 years ago. All money was thrown at the building, anything that can be upgraded later was mostly out (and really still is... ). We were also the first stand alone theatre of its kind to be LEED certified, 26 points silver in fact. Have had several other places fly in just to see the place and see how we run it. Have a very unique HVAC system in the theatre itself. Energy efficient and very quiet. www.fhfineartscenter.com

 

[Jay Ashworth]

So: "Between $4M and 25M".

Got it.