Venetian Resort Las Vegas, The Venetian Theatre

Venetian Resort Las Vegas

The Venetian Theatre


This 1800-seat theatre was designed specifically to house a special production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera.

As described by USA TODAY, “Rebranded Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular- will occur in an 1,800-seat playhouse designed to look like the 19th-century Opera Garnier in Paris. Because the narrative starts in a ruined opera house, the audience first sees the chandelier askew and huge canvas draping the walls. When the tale flashes back, the canvas flies off, and the chandelier pieces assemble and light up in an 80-foot-wide dome.” – Steve Friess

Working closely with the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino, and Live Nation (Clear Channel’s theatrical productions offshoot) FDA and the Rockwell Group created an 1800 seat horseshoe “opera house” on a minimal site between the existing Venetian Casino and the Venezia Tower. While the public will be awed by the opulent “set”, equal attention was given to the back of house layouts. Since this space was specially built for this show, it will run ten times a week (requiring multiple casts and other special accommodations for this perennially popular production).

  • Client: Venetian Resort Hotel Casino
  • Architect: The Rockwell Group
  • Arch. of Record: Leo Daly
  • Completion Year: 2006
  • Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Acoustician: PMK
  • Capacity: 1,800 seats

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Ursinus College, Kaleidoscope Performing Arts Center

Ursinus College

Kaleidoscope Performing Arts Center


Opened in the Spring of 2005, “The Kaleidoscope” was designed as a home for the Ursinus College’s new Theater and Dance Majors.

The complex supports both academic and extra-curricular programs. The 350-seat Lenfest Theater is Ursinus College’s first proscenium stage. The auditorium consists of an orchestra level and balcony with side seating boxes. The stagehouse provides the necessary width to accommodate dance as well as full counterweight rigging for all performance types. A motorized orchestra lift can create an orchestra pit or expand the stage when desired.

The flexible studio space has been provided with a wire rope grid so that lights can be safely hung anywhere in the room. A system of demountable platforms allows the studio to be set up in varied configurations. A large rehearsal room, scene and costume shops, dressing rooms, classrooms and faculty offices are provided to support the two performances spaces FDA began work with Ursinus College and Perry Dean Rogers during the programming phase. The performing arts center is the first of 3 major facilities programmed for the campus: new music and visual arts spaces are planned.

  • Client: Ursinus College
  • Architect: Perry Dean Rogers
  • Completion Year: 2005
  • Location: Collegeville, Pennsylvania
  • Acoustician: Jaffe Holden Acoustics
  • Building Size: 55,000 s.f.

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University of Wisconsin at Green Bay, Weidner Center for the Performing Arts

University of Wisconsin at Green Bay

Weidner Center for the Performing Arts


A beautiful joint-use facility built on a minimal budget, the Weidner Center almost immediately became one of the best “touring houses” in the Midwest. Broadway musicals, pops concerts, ballet, modern dance and symphonic music can be presented on its large, state-of-the-art stage.

Built on the campus of the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay, and designed for community and university use, the Weidner Center comprises the 2,000-seat Coffrin Family Hall, a multipurpose room with a two-tiered balcony, and the 225-seat Ft. Howard Ensemble Hall, a small recital space for more intimate ensembles.

Since it opened in 1992, Coffrin Family Hall has become the major performing arts venue for symphony and touring productions in the northeastern Wisconsin region. It is widely used by the University’s departments of Drama, Music, and Dance.

  • Client: The University of Wisconsin
  • Architect: Beckley Myers Architects, Inc.
  • Completion Year: 1992
  • Location: Green Bay, Wisconsin
  • Acoustician: Jaffe Holden Acoustics

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University of Rochester, Eastman School of Music – Eastman Theatre Orchestra Shell

University of Rochester

Eastman School of Music,

Eastman Theatre Orchestra Shell


The theatre, the home of the Rochester Philharmonic and the Eastman School of Music, needed major renovation. In the 1970’s the Eastman School had introduced a new orchestra shell, which proved to be acoustically unsatisfactory. Eventually, the rigging was also deemed to be unsafe and stage lighting positions inadequate. The renovation addressed all of these issues.

The new orchestra shell is both acoustically and aesthetically superior and its design now reflects and enhances the architecture of the room. The 60,000 pound shell, designed by Akustiks, consists of side walls, a rear wall and acoustical reflectors – all flown on motorized rigging.

FDA’s tasks included the shell rigging, new theatrical rigging (for lights and scenery) new front-of-house lighting positions, a concert lighting system, stage lighting system and a new orchestra lift.

Replacement of the shell is the first of three planned phases at the Eastman School. Later phases will include changes to the auditorium seating (to further improve acoustics), and expansion of the School of Music.

  • Client: University of Rochester
  • Architect: Chaintreuil Jensen Stark
  • Completion Year: 2004
  • Location: Rochester, New York
  • Acoustician: Akustiks
  • Capacity: 3,080 seats

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University of Rochester, Eastman School of Music – Kodak Theater Renovation

University of Rochester

Eastman School of Music, Kodak Theater

(Renovation)


Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre has undergone a stunning transformation, both in the patron experience and in its acoustic qualities.

While retaining its grand Italian Renaissance style, Kodak Hall features a new sound system as well as critical patron amenities. The addition of orchestra- and mezzanine-level boxes and a new back wall on the orchestra level returns more sound energy to support both the performers and the patrons seated in the orchestra level.

FDA was instrumental in reconfiguring the seating to address comfort and sightline issues in the room. Approximately 800 seats have been removed on the orchestra level and the walls carefully reshaped for concert-goers to feel more enveloped in the sound. The removal of back rows of seats not only creates a greater intimacy on the orchestra level, but also allows for the expansion of the hall’s inner lobby and the creation of five lounges, providing more comfortable gathering spaces. Kodak Hall also has new carpeting, a new heating and air conditioning system, and enhanced house and exit lighting.

  • Client: University of Rochester
  • Architect: Chaintreuil Jensen Stark
  • Completion Year: 2010
  • Location: Rochester, New York
  • Acoustician: Akustiks
  • Capacity: 2,250 seats

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University of Rochester, Eastman School of Music – Hatch Recital Hall

University of Rochester

Eastman School of Music, Hatch Recital Hall


Designed as a showcase space that musicians will seek out for the opportunity to present solo recitals and chamber music concerts, the Hatch Recital Hall is the centerpiece of the new wing at the Eastman School of Music. The hall has revitalized the facilities at this long-respected institution.

The 222-seat hall features state-of-the-art performance lighting, excellent sightlines, and, above all, an intimate setting for solo performance. The new addition to the complex, which includes the newly-renovated Kodak Theatre, provides Eastman students and faculty with new performance and rehearsal spaces, studios, and a recording control room.

  • Client: University of Rochester
  • Architect: Chaintreuil Jensen Stark
  • Completion Year: 2010
  • Location: Rochester, New York
  • Acoustician: Akustiks
  • Capacity: 220 seats

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University of Pittsburgh, Charity Randall Theater

University of Pittsburgh, Charity Randall Theater


The Charity Randall Theatre is part of the Steven Foster Memorial at the University of Pittsburgh. The 480 theatre is the home of the University of Pittsburgh Department of Theatre, the Pittsburgh Repertory Theatre, and other local groups. In 2003, FDA worked with WTW Architects on a $3.5 million renovation of the historic performance space. Renovation work included new seating, enhanced stagehouse structure, new manual counterweight rigging, and a new stage lighting system. The major physical change to the theatre was the introduction of a forestage lighting catwalk and rigging support steel, which drastically improved safety and technical flexibility.

  • Client: University of Pittsburgh
  • Architect: WTW Architects
  • Completion Year: 2002
  • Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  • Capacity: 478 seats

Links


University of Oklahoma — Elsie C. Brackett Theatre, Rupel J. Jones Fine Arts Center

University of Oklahoma — Elsie C. Brackett Theatre

Rupel J. Jones Fine Arts Center


2015 marked the completion of a multi-million dollar renovation and re-opening of newly dedicated Elsie C. Brackett Theatre. The 570-seat proscenium space, with flexible apron and thrust configurations, accommodates a variety of performing arts, including musicals, opera, ballet, and drama.

Renovations to 40-year-old theatre include new seating and carpeting, repainted wall and ceiling surfaces, as well as the installation of new wall finishes, a new grand curtain, a new air handling unit, and other interior improvements. Lobby restrooms have been refurbished and expanded.

Back-of-house features include stage lifts that have been upgraded to the latest technology; a completely new theatrical lighting system; state-of-the-art sound equipment; and a replacement of the rigging system, including six new motorized hoists.

  • Client: University of Oklahoma
  • Architect: GSB, Inc.
  • Completion Year: 2015
  • Location: Norman, Oklahoma
  • Capacity: 570 seats

Links


University of Northern Iowa, Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center

University of Northern Iowa,

Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center


The only major Midwest performing arts facility to open in the year 2000, the Gallagher-Bluedorn Center at the University of Northern Iowa houses two peformance halls and incorporates state-of-the-art performance lighting, rigging, and sound systems.

The multi-purpose Great Hall is based on the design of 19th century European opera houses. The horseshoe-shaped room is surrounded by a series of rising balconies, each seating 400. The 85-foot by 40-foot stage has a retractable orchestra shell to enhance symphonic performances. Tracked curtains covering the walls allow the staff to adjust the sound as required for various performance types. FDA designed stage rigging and orchestra lifts and two stage lighting systems, one for concerts and one for theatrical events.

The smaller Davis Hall, with performance space approximately equal to the Great Hall stage, and retractable seating for 300, is designed both for music rehearsal and performance.

  • Client: University of Northern Iowa
  • Architect: HGA
  • Completion Year: 2000
  • Location: Cedar Falls, Iowa
  • Acoustician: Acoustic Dimensions
  • Building Size: 100,000 s.f.
  • Capacity: 1,600 seats

Links


University of North Texas, Murchison Performing Arts Center

University of North Texas

Murchison Performing Arts Center


University of North Texas’ (UNT) performing arts center is the newest element on a sprawling campus just north of Fort Worth. With its shiny domed roof visible from the highway, the center becomes a gateway to the university. Architectural Record critic David Dillon calls it “a piece of intricate modern music.”

FDA worked closely with the architect and acoustician on both the concert hall and small theatre. The 1,100-seat Margot and Bill Winspear Performance Hall is a room with an intimate feel and superb acoustics for music and a stage which can accommodate ensembles of up to 200. The Lyric Theatre is a 400-seat experimental space that allows almost limitless configurations. Usable floor space measures 50 feet by 90 feet by 40 feet high. Seats on the ground floor can be moved into any part of the house; the stage can be on the north or south wall, or in the center of the room.

FDA helped to plan and design storage, costume design, and dressing rooms on the lower level. A large multilevel lobby, a separate rehearsal hall and a recording studio are part of a generous program that includes student concerts, guest artists, musical theater, opera, and special events. About 1,400 students annually study music at the University.

  • Client: University of North Texas at Denton
  • Architect: Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates
  • Completion Year: 1999
  • Location: Denton, Texas
  • Acoustician: Jaffe Holden Acoustics
  • Building Size: 72,500 s.f.

Links


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