April 28, 2001
posted May 8, 2001
updated May 9 2001
Please send corrections to Fred Tepfer, ftepfer@oregon.uoregon.edu
Participants: John Schmor, Sandy Bonds, Janet Rose, Joseph Gilg, and Vicki
Vanacek-Young.
Staff: Fred Tepfer
NEW FLEXIBLE THEATER (BLACK BOX)
Robinson is a fairly good proscenium theater. The need in the new theater is for a flexible theater for round/arena, thrust, or "small end" productions. It should also adapt gracefully to needs not yet anticipated.
The theater needs to be able to switch between these different types of production without major effort (time or money). This will probably require careful attention during design to many issues, including seating systems, curtain tracks, light and sound control, etc.
CAPACITY OF NEW THEATER
Curently, the Arena Theater (104 Villard) has a capacity of 80 to 100. The desirably capacity in the new theater is slightly larger, 150 to 180, or about half the capacity of Robinson.
PLAYING AREA OF NEW THEATER
The current Arena Theater playing area is about 15 feet by 25 feet. When the new theater is set up for arena productions, a slightly wider playing area would be better, perhaps 17 feet by 26 feet.
APPROXIMATE SIZE OF NEW THEATER
The seating will add roughly nine feet on all four sides, with access aisles at the four corners, and there will be a roughly five foot wide corridor surrounding all four sides of the theater. Wall thicknesses and/or curtain clearances need to be added to these numbers.
LIGHT BOOTH
A movable light booth might be a good idea. Because the light control runs on network technology, this could be as simple as a small booth (with window) that can be rolled to different locations and be plugged into power and data connections either overhead or in the floor. This should integrate well with the riser and seating system, and provide for comfort for the occupant. Should it be big enough to teach in, or would that occur elsewhere? How many people should it accommodate if not used for teaching?
CIRCULATION AND RELATIONSHIP TO ROBINSON
The entire complex needs to be designed for simultaneous shows. A shared lobby is fine, as start times can be staggered.
The design of the new theater needs to allow actors to get to all entrance locations without being perceived by the audience nor by having to go outdoors. There was some discussion about whether this would require hard walls in all instances or whether curtains would suffice. That will be resolved during the design process with the assistance of a theater consultant.
The design of the complex also needs to connect backstage areas in such a way that all dressing and make-up areas have access to all stages, again without going outside.
Figure 1: a rough diagram of relationships, not a building diagram
DRESSING AND MAKE-UP AREAS
The dressing and make-up areas need to accommodate make-up classes as well as productions. One approach that might work well is to have men's and women's dressing rooms, each with showers and toilets, which open onto a shared make-up room. The make-up area would have lights, mirrors, and counters around the perimeter and an open area in the middle. The dressing rooms at the University of Alaska are a good model.
It may be most cost-effective to use part of the existing facilities for a smaller dressing and make-up suite and build a larger dressing and make-up suite into the new facility.
Figure 2: Dressing and make-up diagram
ACTING AND DIRECTING STUDIO
The project should inclue a classroom for acting and directing classes, which doubles as a rehearsal space. It should have a playing area usable for rehearsal for productions in Robinson as well as for productions in the new theater. In addition, there is a need for additional student rehearsal space. 104 Villard, the current Arena Theater, would revert to classroom use and would be well suited for this purpose.
For a future discussion, identify more detailed needs for this space. Windows? Technical theater systems? Teaching technology (writing surfaces, computer projection, sound)? Seating?
HOMEWORK FOR NEXT TIME
Each faculty member will bring optimum dimensions for spaces they would like to have.