Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 2004 - 49

omputer program helps to determine
Cvarious
technical aspects of the interior
design and present a variety of solutions.

non-amplified sound. By using carpeting only in the aisles (not
in the seating area) and by putting hard backs on the seats
(which had wood, not metal standards) and employing other
simple adjustments, they were able to create normal sound.
Remaking the Biltmore into a working theatre was the responsibility of the firm of Fisher Dachs Associates, the theatre
planning consultants. As the construction and make-over was
proceeding, specialists in Fisher Dachs took over and, were simultaneously preparing the plans to create an attractive and
well-equipped working playhouse. Joshua Dachs supervised
his team of experts, consisting of an architect (Barbara
Spandors), a lighting designer (Richard Hoyes), and a rigging
designer (Joe Mobilia). Spandors paid special tribute to
Michael Moody who was able to communicate to the team the
needs of the Manhattan Theatre Club. That kind of information
made the job much easier for Dachs and his team.
Spandors, the project manager, was responsible for the
coordination of her work and the work of her associates with
the architects. She designed the auditorium (the room) which

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included configuring the seating, determining optimal
sightlines, working out the logistics for getting audiences in
and out of the theatre and Michael Moody transmitted the special
guidelines that Grove and Meadow set up for their theatre. At the
same time, she was conscious that her work had to interconnect
with her lighting and rigging experts. The design of both public
and backstage spaces, including support facilities (i.e., dressing rooms, trap room, costume room) was part of her job.
Computer programs were a great aid to Spandors, especially the programs developed by Josh Dachs with Excel, one
of which helps to determine various technical aspects of the
interior design and present a variety of solutions. Spandors
could then present to Meadow the various strategies for the
sightlines and the configuration of the seats so that she could
arrive at optimum solutions to both. For instance, she could
design and redesign the distribution of the seats and see on the
computer screen how the schemes worked in the virtual auditorium. Unfortunately, she had to retain the center aisle in the
orchestra (where the best seats are always located) but could
eliminate the center aisle in the balcony which had to be almost completely redesigned and rebuilt. Some seats were removed and the slope was altered to allow more leg room
around the seats and room between the aisles. Two entrances
to the balcony became necessary, one at the top and one at the
bottom so that ingress and egress could be affected smoothly.
She also had to find room for the elevator that was now necessary in the reconstructed theatre. Off both of these exits were

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 2004