Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 2012 - 36

Merit Awards were given to ten projects.
The Four Seasons Centre of the Performing Arts in
Toronto, Canada, is a spectacular new opera house purposebuilt for the Canadian Opera Company. In addition to helping the COC achieve its dream for its first official permanent
home-great acoustics and excellent sightlines-Architects
Diamond Schmitt had to pay particular attention to the building's urban surroundings. The ebony brick exterior fits well
in its surrounding landscape of modern skyscrapers, as does
the glass façades on two sides of the building. This openness
of the lobbies, as well as the cafés and shops just inside,
encourages open and easy participation with the city and its
inhabitants.
Inside, the warmth and naturalness of the finishes
contrast with the urban exterior, providing an intimate and
inviting atmosphere for patrons. The large lobby, called the
City Room, allows for 2,000 people to comfortably move
within its volume with unobstructed views. Bridges span
both the north and south access, and a translucent staircase
floats between the two levels, giving plenty of opportunity
for opera patrons to see and be seen.
The technical side of the three stages in the Four Seasons Centre was also well thought out, with particular attention to acoustics, provided by Sound Space Design, for both
voice and orchestration. Over 500 rubber shock absorbers effectively isolate the halls from the rest of the building
structure. The facility has full rear and side stages to allow
all three theatres to operate simultaneously in repertory.
Fischer Dachs Associates worked their theatre technology
magic with the R. Fraser Elliot Hall (main auditorium),
including eighty-six manual counterweights and four upstage/downstage side sets with two loading levels each with
a 2000-pound capacity. Stage lighting is accommodated
with 886 2.4K dimmers, fifty-seven 6K dimmers, and six
12K dimmers controlled with a new Strand 550i console
and DMX over Ethernet. The house sound system is a Meyer
Sound Laboratories array complimented with front fill and
under-balcony speakers controlled with a Yamaha DM2000
console.
The Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre located on the
third floor is the focal point of the City Room. Seating 175
patrons, with additional seating and standing locations on
the walkway and upper floors, it is an ideal, permanent space
for the Canadian Opera Company to host concert series, and
other public and private events.
Another outstanding Merit Award winner is the
Parabola Arts Centre at Cheltenham Ladies' College, in
Cheltenham, England, designed by Foster Wilson Architects.
The historic Bayshill House, a Regency stucco villa whose
style is characteristic of Cheltenham, was purchased by the
college and renovated in a restrained classical language using
natural materials-wood, brick, brushed concrete, wool,
and local limestone-minimalist contemporary detail, and
subtle Classical proportions. The highly sustainable building

theatre design

& technology

spring

is ventilated naturally, without the need for expensive and
noisy mechanical equipment.
The school wanted a cutting-edge learning environment
for its students and an arts space for use by local community
groups and the annual Cheltenham Jazz, Science, Music, and
Literature Festivals. Foster Wilson's design for the complex
building program of the Parabola Arts Centre includes a 325seat auditorium, replacing a large 1970s extension in back,
as well as teaching, reception, and support facilities within
the restored villa. The teaching facilities include rehearsal
spaces, offices, video editing suites, library, and dance studio. A glazed link connects the new extension to the house.
The architects worked closely with English Heritage to
harmonize the Parabola Arts Centre with its historical surroundings. The oval shape reduces its perceived mass within
the streetscape, and classical stone veneer from nearby Bath
covers the exterior. Inside, the horseshoe shape of the auditorium, while primarily an end-stage layout, also lends itself
to varying configurations by employing the pit lift to extend
the stage area. This staging flexibility, along with the other
more technical accommodations, allows the college to transform the space in relative short order.
Theatre Projects Consultants and Paul Gillieron Acoustic Design provided the technical requirements to satisfy
the college's needs. Theatrical stage lighting consists of
144 channels of 2.4K Sensor dimmers run via an ETC ION
console and DMX over Ethernet. Lighting positions over the
house are easily accessible on a wire tension grid over the
seating area; on-stage positions are supported by sixteen
drill-operated line winches. A three-position pit lift offers an
additional stage extension or can be lowered to the orchestra
level for more seating or lowered even further still to operate
as an orchestra pit. Front-of-house audio consists of a d&b
audiotechnik sound system controlled with a Roland M400
digital mixing console. Additionally, a computer running SFX
show control software aids in running more complex shows.
A full projection system, both front and rear projection, for
digital scenery employs a Sanyo XF71 10,000-lumen projector and a custom two-way projection surface.
Another flexible space in the Merit Award category is
the Francis Marion University Performing Arts Center
in Florence, South Carolina, designed by Holtzman Moss
Bottino Architecture in collaboration with FW Architects
Inc. Theatre Consultants Collaborative LLC and Akustiks
consulted on this project to bring this 73,000-square-foot facility to reality. Housing a black box theatre seating up to 125
patrons, an amphitheatre with 300 seats, and a main stage
seating 850, the Performing Arts Center also encompasses
classrooms and office space for faculty of the FMU Fine Arts

2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 2012