Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 2012 - 38

blossoming theatre and music departments which were
formally relegated to sub-par and make-shift spaces. Wrapped
in brick and glass (with hints of cedar siding) to provide a
common language with the rest of the campus's buildings, the
facility is located on the urban edge of campus and provides a
new gateway for students arriving from the community.
Inside, the 55,000-square-foot venue sports a new multiuse performance hall, a small thrust stage, rehearsal rooms, art
gallery, and various teaching and support spaces. The 525-seat
Wollenberg Auditorium provides excellent acoustics for both
natural and amplified sound through a combination of variable
acoustic absorption panels and a flexible orchestra shell designed by Sparling Acoustics. A unique feature of this theatre
is its lack of traditional fly space, instead relying on a series
of counterweighted ceiling panels that are raised and lowered
over corresponding tension grid panels. This technique allows
for spot flying of scenic elements and lighting positions, but the
panels also can be adjusted up and down to tune the space for
music performances. A proscenium opening is created with biparting soft goods that easily hide scenic elements. These can
be stripped away entirely to open up the space. Fir slats and
cherry panels line the seating chamber adding to the warmth of
the auditorium and paying respects to the lumber mill heritage
of the town and to its benefactor, the Rose family.
The Center Stage Theatre and Lecture Hall, which seats
about 120, is designed as a thrust and can accommodate a
variety of configurations. There is no barrier between the
stage and the audience and the main aisle entrance to the
space is down the center. These features are designed to help
students learn to make direct contact with the audience play
to the whole house instead of just the center.
The Ken and Pat Hanson Rehearsal Hall features articulated
maple panels for acoustic adjustments with completely automated control over the tuning to accommodate the needs of the college's forty-piece orchestra, a jazz quartet, or a solo performer.
A new campus art gallery became part of the project, providing fifty percent more art space than the previous gallery.
Twenty-foot-high walls allow for larger installations, while a
second level gallery provides a more intimate space for smaller
objects and exhibits. This space not only accommodates rotating exhibits but proudly displays the college's permanent collection of art in a naturally lit space.
State-of-the-art lighting, rigging, and sound systems were
designed for the entire facility by Auerbach Pollock Friedlander,
including a centralized archival recording room and a state-ofthe-art recording studio. Classrooms are outfitted with digital
projection and advanced teaching technologies.
Also receiving a Merit Award is HGA Architects and Engineers for their work on the Cabrillo College's Visual and
Performing Arts Complex. This outstanding two-year performing arts program was apparently working miracles when
they used to produce fully staged shows such as Peter Pan in
their small space with an 11´-0˝ pipe grid. The faculty impressed
the design team for the new facility with how thoroughly they

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& technology

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had considered their needs and requirements.
Supported in collaboration with Auerbach Pollock Friedlander as theatre consultants and ARUP Acoustics, the new $80
million Visual and Performing Arts Complex was born out of the
college's master plan. It included the 581-seat Crocker Theatre,
a 369-seat music recital hall and classroom, a 2D art gallery
and workspace, a 3D art building, and classrooms and office
space. The facilities also provide music practice rooms, drawing and design studios, recording studios, and an experimental
black box space for 150 patrons.
The main hall, Crocker Theatre, is a veritable jungle gym,
with demountable panels at the proscenium allowing scenic
elements to break the fourth wall and interface with the architecture and vertical circulation. A motorized pit adds additional
flexibility for trapped scenery and musical performances alike.
The black box space provides even greater flexibility, with
a wire tension grid and perimeter catwalk system so student designers can easily experiment with a multitude of configurations.
Another Merit Award recipient is the newly renovated
BodyVox Dance Center's 11,000 square-foot facility in Portland, Oregon. In what looks like an eclectic stripped-down
industrial space, it houses a new education studio, rehearsal/
performance space, lobby/box office, and other backstage and
administrative spaces, all on a budget of $500,000. Designed by
Boora Architects with theatre consultant The Shalleck Collaborative Inc., the theatre intends to serve both BodyVox and the
greater Portland Community by providing a venue for groups
that do not have an adequate home to call their own.
The facility, built in 1915, was originally a Wells Fargo carriage house for its horses, a carriage repair shop, and dorms
for employees. It has seen many tenants come and go over the
years, and when BodyVox took over the building, the space was
under utilized. The first charge was to strip it to the exterior
walls and open the space up, providing great views of the steel
girders, brick walls, and wide-open floor plate-perfect for
dance. The lobby, which also serves as a multi-function space
for receptions to board meetings and rental space for events,
has lots of natural light.
The Main Studio is a double-height space for both rehearsals and performances with a seating capacity for 170 patrons
and has technology to support a variety of performance types.
The flexible risers allow for a multitude of seating configurations, and a mezzanine level functions as alternate entrances for
performers. Small windows provide pedestrians on the street
with glimpses of the activity within, and connect dancers to the
visual vibrancy of the city. Rigging and lights are hung from the
exposed steel trusses without any attempt to hide them. A custom sprung dance floor provides the dancers with the comfort
and safety needed for their work.

2012

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