HOUSE OF WORSHIP ISSUE
www.stage-directions.com DECEMBER 2006
Spotlight on Toronto’s
Soulpepper Theatre Co.
& Sheridan College
How to generate profit
for YOUR theatre outside
of ticket sales
THE JEWEL OF SOUTH BEACH
CARNIVAL CENTER FOR
THE PERFORMING ARTS
Table Of Contents D e c e m b e r 2 0 0 6
Schuler Shook
Features
26 Theatre Space
A multi-million dollar arts complex opens
to great fanfare in Miami. By Christine Puleo
44 Beyond The Box Office
We offer some offbeat ways to expand your
theatre’s coffers and bring in bucks.
By Christine Sparta
Special Section:
Houses of Worship Theatres
46 Rime of the Mariners
At one California church, sound is paramount.
54
By Evan Henerson
50 Look, Listen and Learn
A Chicago-area church’s new children’s ministry
theatre provides a bright space for kids to share
their teachings. By Lisa Arnett
54 By Natural Design
Guntar kraviS
A temple outside Minneapolis gives
36
congregants a feeling of intimacy.
By Elizabeth Weir
Spotlight: Toronto
36 Soulpepper Theatre
Company
A theatre company born from a prestigious
festival is drawing prestige of its own with
a steady menu of quality productions.
By Richard Ouzounian
S
40 heridan College
For almost 40 years, this school has been
turning out the most skilled of performers:
the triple threat. By Richard Ouzounian
www.stage-directions.com • December 2006
Photo courtesy of Acoustic Dimensions
46
Departments
E
7 ditor’s Note 62 The Play’s The Thing
Ch-Ch-Changes. By Iris Dorbian Plays from the perspective of those
who don’t fit in. By Stephen Peithman
9 Letters
Readers voice their approval 64 Answer Box
of recent articles. If your rigging is causing a problem
with your scenic elements, you might
10 In The Green Room consider the following solution.
The 2006 Theatre Hall of Fame By Erik Viker
Inductees are announced, Actors’
Equity names new head, up and
coming playwright wins MacArthur Tech Talk
Fellowship and Sapsis Rigging has a
special celebration. By Iris Dorbian 16 Resource Roundup
This month brings a list of companies
32 Musical Stages with restoration specialties that will
Nineteenth-century German drama help your old theatre shine like new.
meets contemporary American rock in By Christie Rizk
Broadway’s Spring Awakening.
By Brooke Pierce
60 Off The Shelf On ur COver: Knight Concert
O
Hall in Miami’s Carnival Center
Gift ideas for the theatre person in
your life. By Stephen Peithman b
PhOtOgraPhy y: Robin Hall
December 2006 • www.stage-directions.com
Editor’s Note
Ch-Ch-Changes
D
id I speak too soon? Last
month, I talked about how
Stage Directions had been
one of several magazines under
the erstwhile Lifestyle Media, Inc.
stable that had been taken over
kimberly butler
by Macfadden Performing Arts
Media, LLC. Well, the planets must
have been acting up, because
guess what? (And you probably
have surmised this already by glancing at the new names
on the masthead, as well our new logo.) Stage Directions
has undergone yet another major change for 2006:
SD has been bought by the Las Vegas-based Timeless
Communications Corp., publisher of two top industry
trades, Projection Lights & Staging News (PLSN) and
Front of House (FOH). Many of you may already be famil-
iar with these publications because they have a crossover
readership with Stage Directions, with each focusing
specifically on a technical component of live perfor-
mance. This bodes well for Stage Directions because it
means we can draw synergistically upon the resources
from both trades as we plan the editorial lineup for
upcoming issues. Also, because much of the Timeless
staff already has an extensive background in theatre,
the acquisition is a great boon for us. In the past, Stage
Directions, though respected by its ownership, had never
been given the proper attention it deserved. But now with
Timeless’ enthusiastic new ownership under Terry Lowe,
that will be changing.
It’s a new era for Stage Directions, which was found-
ed by Consulting Editor Stephen Peithman and the late
Susan Wershing in 1988 to serve the needs of budget-
conscious community theatres. I thank all of you who
have stayed with us through thick and thin throughout
the years. Your wholehearted and unflinching support
has transformed Stage Directions — 18 years after its
inception — into the only viable theatre magazine in the
marketplace. Under Timeless Communications’ aegis,
here’s to 18 more years and counting.
Happy Holidays!
Iris Dorbian
Editor-in-Chief
Publisher Terry Lowe ADViSoRy BoARD
Editor Iris Dorbian
Editorial Director Bill Evans Joshua alemany
Rosco
Managing Editor Jacob Coakley
Associate Editor David McGinnis Julie angelo
Contributing Editor Richard Cadena American Association of Community
Editorial Assistant Christie Rizk Theatre
Contributing Writers Lisa Arnett, Evan Henerson,
RobeRt baRbeR
Richard Ouzounian, Brooke Pierce, BMi Supply
Christine Puleo, Amy L. Slingerland,
Christine Sparta, Elizabeth Weir, Ken billington
Erik Viker Lighting Designer
Consulting Editor Stephen Peithman
RogeR claman
Rose Brand
ART
Art Director Garret Petrov PatRicK Finelli, PhD
university of
Graphic Designers Dana Pershyn, Michelle Sacca
South Florida
PRoDuCTion gene FlahaRty
Production Manager Linda Evans Mehron inc.
cathy hutchison
WEB
Acoustic Dimensions
Web Designer Josh Harris
Keith KanKovsKy
ADVERTiSinG Apollo Design
Advertising Director Greg Gallardo
becKy KauFman
Eastern uS Account Mgr Warren Flood
Period Corsets
Western uS Account Mgr Holly O’Hair
Audio Advertising Manager Peggy Blaze toDD KoePPl
Chicago Spotlight inc.
oPERATionS
KimbeRly messeR
General Manager William Vanyo
Lillenas Drama Resources
office Manager Dawn Marie Voss
John meyeR
Meyer Sound
CiRCuLATion
Stark Services
John muszynsKi
P.O. Box 16147
Theater Director
North Hollywood, CA 91615 Maine South High School
BuSinESS oFFiCE
scott PaRKeR
6000 South Eastern Ave.
Pace university/uSiTT-ny
Suite 14-J
Las Vegas, NV 89119
Ron Ranson
TEL. 702.932.5585 Theatre Arts
FAX 702.932.5584 Video Library
DaviD RosenbeRg
i. Weiss & Sons inc.
Stage Directions (ISSN: 1047-1901) Volume 19, Number 12 Published
monthly by Timeless Communications Corp. 6000 South Eastern Ave.,
KaRen RugeRio
Suite 14J, Las Vegas, NV 89119. It is distributed free to qualified individu- Dr. Phillips High School
als in the lighting and staging industries in the United States and Canada.
Periodical Postage paid at Las Vegas, NV office and additional offices. ann sachs
Postmaster please send address changes to: Stage Directions, PO Box Sachs Morgan Studio
16147 North Hollywood, CA 91615. Editorial submissions are encouraged
but must include a self-addressed stamped envelope to be returned. bill saPsis
Stage Directions is a Registered Trademark. All Rights Reserved. Duplica- Sapsis Rigging
tion, transmission by any method of this publication is strictly prohibited
without permission of Stage Directions. RichaRD silvestRo
Franklin Pierce College
Letters
Midwest
Hurrah
On behalf of the staff for
the Warren Performing Arts
Center, I would like to thank
you and your staff for Richard
Barrett’s wonderful article
on our facility (“A Marvel
In Indianapolis,” October,
2006). We appreciate Stage
Directions for taking the time to look at
high school theatre programs and what they can offer to
the theatre community. If there is ever anything we can do
here at Warren for you, please don’t hesitate to ask. Again,
thank you, and good luck to you and your staff!
Matt Oskay
Director
Warren Performing Arts Center
Indianapolis, IN
Foggy Acclaim
I just wanted to thank you and Stage Directions for the
really excellent write-up on fog effects in the October issue
(“It’s All A Fog”). I think Christie Rizk did a great job clari-
fying the equipment features and needs for your readers.
Thanks again.
Joshua Alemany
Rosco
Stamford, CT
Let us know what you think of a Stage Directions
article or how your company dealt with a problem.
You can reach us at 311 W. 50th St., #3D,
New York, NY 10019;
or e-mail idorbian@stage-directions.com
www.stage-directions.com • December 2006
In The Greenroom
By Iris Dorbian
theatre buzz
2006 THEATRE HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES ANNOUNCED
The 2006 Theatre Hall of Fame will induct of experience
some of Broadway’s finest in a ceremony on
January 29, 2007 at the Gershwin Theatre.
working in the
American theatre; SMOKING
Inductees include actors Patti LuPone,
George Hearn and Elizabeth Wilson; play-
wright Brian Friel and designers Willa Kim
they also must
have five major
theatre credits.
PLEASE!
and Eugene Lee. The late scribes Wendy All inductees are
Wasserstein and August Wilson will be voted on by the Wendy Wasserstein According to an article
inducted posthumously. American Theatre dated October 11, which
Eligible nominees for the Theatre Hall of Critics Association and members of the ran in the Denver Post,
Fame must have a minimum of 25 years Theatre Hall of Fame. a Boulder theatre com-
pany has gotten into a
peculiar legal wrangle. The
ZIMMERMAN IS NEW AEA PRESIDENT Curious Theatre Company
has filed a lawsuit against
Courtesy of ACtors’ equity
Mark Zimmerman, Zimmerman was first elected vice the Colorado Department of
who has been a mem- president of Equity in 2000. During his term Heath and Environment as a
ber of the Actors’ of office, he chaired two negotiations of the way to seek exemption from
Equity Association for Production Contract, which included the statewide smoking ban.
30 years and joined establishment of the 401(k) plan, improved safe- Backed by two other theatre
the Equity Council ty requirements and enacted the Experimental companies, Curious wants its
in 1989, has been Touring Program. He also served on a number of performers to be allowed free-
voted Equity’s new other negotiating teams and committees. dom of expression onstage,
president. He will As an actor, Zimmerman has appeared in including smoking, citing the
fill the position most productions such as Mamma Mia!, On the First Amendment. Writes
Mark Zimmerman
recently held by Twentieth Century, The Rainmaker and Kiss of John Moore, Denver Post’s
Patrick Quinn, who the Spider Woman. He most recently appeared theatre critic: “The suit asks
died in September after being designated Equity’s at the Cape May Playhouse, in productions of for an immediate injunc-
new executive director. Moonlight and Marigolds and Guys and Dolls. tion that would prevent law
enforcement from issuing
MACARTHUR FELLOW NAMED any fines for smoking during
live performances until the
Sarah Ruhl, whose play The Clean House was a matter is heard by a judge.”
Courtesy of yAle rep
Pulitzer Prize finalist, and whose recent work, Eurydice, Curious, which is being rep-
recently had a run at the Yale Rep, has been named resented by the law firm of
a 2006 MacArthur Foundation Fellow.The Clean House Holland and Hart, took mat-
recently had its New York premiere at Lincoln Center ters into its own hands, rather
and will be directed by Yale Rep Associate Artist than wait for a possible cita-
Bill Rauch. tion due to its production of
Eurydice, which Ruhl wrote while a graduate student tempOdyssey, which opened
at Brown University, in early November. Says
is told from the per- Artistic Director Chip Walton:
spective of Eurydice, “Smoking can be pivotal to
focusing on the power character and plot devel-
Courtesy of JoAn MArCus
of love between hus- opment. We have both an
Sarah Ruhl
band and wife and ethical and a legal obliga-
father and daughter. tion to present the play as
In The Clean House, Ruhl casts her eye on domestic- written, and to honor the
ity, love and sisterhood and the search for humor at intent of the playwright.”
death. Among her other plays are Passion Play: A Cycle,
Joseph Parks as Orpheus and Maria Dizzia as
Melancholy Play, Dead Man’s Cell Phone and Orlando, Eurydice in the recent Yale Rep production of
the latter an adaptation of the Virginia Woolf novel. Eurydice
10 December 2006 • www.stage-directions.com
industry news
courtesy of sapsis rigging
Sapsis Rigging Celebrates Silver Anniversary
Pennsylvania-based Sapsis Rigging is having a special
toast these days: They’re celebrating their 25th anniversary.
The company, which was begun by namesake owner/presi-
dent Bill Sapsis in 1981, has been responsible for installa-
tions in countless venues around the world, including Lincoln
Center, the White House and a hay field outside of London. In
addition to overseeing innumerable projects, Sapsis has led
over 125 rigging seminars; his company has also inspected
over 1,000 rigging systems for safety purposes.
“I started the company on Friday the 13th and have been
petting black cats and stepping on cracks ever since,” says
Sapsis. “We’ve come a long way since the early days of roll-
ing reels of aircraft cable out of my basement, and I’m look-
ing forward to many years to come. I still won’t walk under
Bill Sapsis ladders, though. That’s just plain stupid.”
EASY RIDER
The Long Beach Long Riders, an ever-expanding
will end with the group returning to the original destina-
tion: Las Vegas. For 2009, the motorcyclists will gather
momentum in the Carolinas, Virginia and Tennessee. And
group of motorcyclists comprised of industry notables finally, in 2010, the Harley crowd will begin and end their
who work to raise money every summer for The ESTA trek in San Francisco.
Foundation’s Behind The Scenes program and for To accommodate all riders who’d like to participate,
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, has announced their the Long Beach Long Riders wanted to plan their routes
next four routes. as early as possible. Says Bill Sapsis, president of Sapsis
In the summer of 2007, the group will begin their trip in Rigging and organizer of the riders, “It’s our hope that bet-
Philadelphia,then ride through New England for nine days ter advance notice will give people an opportunity to plan
before returning to the City of Brotherly Love. In 2008, their vacations and join us on one (or more) of the rides.”
the charity coterie will converge in Las Vegas before set- For more information on The Long Beach Long Riders,
ting out in southern Utah, Colorado and Arizona; this trip visit www.lrir.org.
BL Expands
BL Innovative Lighting, a 20-year-old Vancouver, British
Columbia-based company, recently acquired Ultratec Fiber Optic
USA Inc. Estimated at $3 million, the acquisition will offer
customers a wide range of lighting products and services. BL
Innovative Lighting will use the fiber optic products that have
become readily available as a result of the acquisition to create
cost-effective, energy-efficient lighting systems and solutions
for a variety of applications. Betty Lou, who is also based in
Vancouver, has been named executive chairman and CEO of BL
Innovating Lighting.
Betty Lou
12 December 2006 • www.stage-directions.com
in memoriam
EVE ADAMSON
courtesy of the Phoenix theatre ensemble
Eve Adamson, founder of the once much heralded
downtown NYC theatre company, Jean Cocteau Rep, died
October 9. She was 67.
The Rep, which Adamson founded in 1971, had been
devoted to staging classics at low-ticket prices. Although
production values were not high, the quality of the acting
and directing was usually extolled by critics and audi-
ences alike. Adamson remained artistic director of the
Rep until 1989, directing more than 100 productions,
including plays by Chekov, Ibsen, Pinter and Shakespeare.
At the time of her death, Adamson was preparing to begin
rehearsals for Antigone at the Phoenix Theatre Ensemble.
She is survived by a brother, Lloyd Christopher
of California.
Playwright Tennessee Williams with Eve Adamson
changing roles
courtesy of crown international
CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT
Elkhart, Indiana-based Crown International, a leading audio manufacturer, is beefing up its
senior personnel with the promotions of Scott Potosky to vice-president of engineering and
Marc Kellom to vice-president of marketing.
Of the appointments, Crown president Mark Graham says, “Both Scott and Marc have
impressive track records with Crown, leading to the development of some of our most important
products over the past decade. Each brings extensive leadership experience and an intimate Scott Potosky
understanding of our business to their respective positions.”
Potosky, who has been with Crown for 18 years, most recently
served as its product development manager. Kellom, who has been with Crown for 12 years,
also recently held the title of product development manager; he has also been involved
in marketing.
Potosky has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Purdue University,
while Kellom holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Milwaukee
School of Engineering and a master’s degree in business administration from Indiana
Institute of Technology.
Marc Kellom
courtesy of southwest show tech
SHOWY APPOINTMENT
Poway, California-based Southwest Show Tech, which has provided technical support
and creative services for corporate theatre and special events throughout the world for
15 years, has added Rebecca Kanter as an account executive to its team. With more than
eight years of experience in advertising and marketing, Kanter will follow SST’s mission of
providing innovative services to the company’s clients.
Rebecca Kanter
14 December 2006 • www.stage-directions.com
Resource Roundup By Christie Rizk
Everything Old
is New Again
Companies with restoration specialties that
will help your old theatre shine like new.
Conrad Schmitt Studios
PhilliP handler
800-969-3033
www.conradschmitt.com
For more than 100 years, Conrad Schmitt Studios has
been working to restore, conserve and renovate architec-
tural treasures. Their work on churches, theatres, hotels,
government buildings and other historical landmarks
has been internationally recognized. Their full range of
services includes restoration and renovation of interior
decorative schemes, stained glass, decorative painting,
including gilding, glazing, stenciling and faux finishes
— murals, statuary, sculpture and etched and faceted
glass. They also investigate and document the building’s
original decorative schemes in order to stay true to
the decorative origins. To see pictures of their indi-
vidual projects and learn more about their services, visit
their Web site.
The Palace Theatre in Waterbury, Connecticut was the recent beneficiary of Conrad
Schmitt Studios’ specialty work.
roger Farrington
Evergreene Painting Studios, Inc.
212-244-2800
www.evergreene.com
For the past 25 years, Evegreene Studios has been nur-
turing artists and craftsmen from all over the country,
bringing their talents together to form one of the most
comprehensive and thorough teams of conservationists
and artists in the country. Evergreene Studios offers a
variety of conservation and restoration services, and
have done work in more than 100 theatres. Their cross-
disciplinary approach — integrating conservation sci-
ence, restoration craftsmanship, advanced technology,
art history, architecture and construction — ensures that
each unique space will keep its own flavor and design.
Evergreene has successfully conserved murals and fres-
The Wang Center in Boston also received specialized restoration
work via Conrad Schmitt Studios.
16 December 2006 • www.stage-directions.com
coes, decorative painting, ornamental plaster, scagliola prehensive planning for designing theatres that work for
wood, mosaics, wallpaper, metal and wood in a variety their owners, their patrons and the theatre professionals
of media. They also do original plaster work, murals and that use them. Their expertise in the areas of theatre tech-
decorative paintings, and produce their own line of wall- nology, interior design, architectural lighting and space
papers. To learn more, please see their Web site. planning have made them a premier firm in the world of
theatrical architecture. They have restored and renovated
illustrious theatres throughout the country, including the
John Canning Painting New World Stages theatre in New York City and the John
& Conservation Studios F. Kennedy Center Opera House in Washington D.C.,
203-272-9868 where the architectural lighting included refurbishment
www.canning-studios.com of the enormous Lobmeyr crystal chandelier. More of
With numerous awards and honors under their belts and their portfolio can be seen on their Web site.
over four decades of experience, the
staff at John Canning Studios is dedi-
cated to the restoration and conser-
vation of monuments, and their pres-
ervation for future generations. They
have a long tradition of beautifully
restoring intricate and decorative
theatre spaces. Alongside their tal-
ented artists, John Canning Studios
employs a staff of sound business
associates, ensuring the success and
sound management of each project.
Their restoration and conservation
services include decorative painting,
trompe l’oeil, mural conservation,
gliding, glazing, stenciling, wood
carving and marbling. You can see
some of their recent projects on their
Web site.
Legend Theatrical, Inc.
888-485-2485
www.legendtheatrical.com
Efficiency and image are the two
essential factors in all of Legend
Theatrical, Inc.’s theatre restoration
work. This company will be there
every step of the way, from design to
construction. They specialize, how-
ever, in the renovation of a theatre’s
technological systems, bringing
buildings up to speed and replac-
ing archaic systems with the latest
in lighting and sound innovations.
Using their knowledge and expertise
they customize each theatrical space
to achieve a maximum of efficiency
and functionality. Give them a call to
find out more.
Sachs Morgan Studio
212-765-4144
www.sachsmorganstudio.com
Nationally recognized for their work
in theatre design and architecture,
Sachs Morgan Studio provides com-
www.stage-directions.com • December 2006 17
Toys of the Trade
Yuletide Potpourri
The holiday season has a profusion of new products to put
under your Christmas tree.
Don’t Haze Me In
CITC’s new StarHazer II is a safe-to-use machine whose output is double that
of the previous StarHazer. Its DMX 512 allows control from a light board,
and its insulation eliminates unwanted noise. Other features include
shock-absorbing motor mounts, insulated baffles and seven filters
to keep the unit free from debris. The dual opening in front
allows for two layers of output. The extended panels in the
back of the machine protect the connectors from damage.
For more information on the StarHazer II and its pricing, visit
www.citcfx.com or call 888-786-CITC.
CITC’s Starzhazer II
A Knight Of A Product
At September’s PLASA show, Robert Juliat introduced Lancelot, a long throw effects projector
and followspot, built for arenas and large venues. This ultra bright fixture has been designed around a
360,000-lumen 4KW HTI lamp, and features smooth dimming control, a fully closing iris, a
color changer and DMX control. It also has a modular design that uses plug and
play cartridges to give the lighting designer a wide variety of options.
Cartridges are available now for progressive color effects,
frost, color correction and color mixing. Future features
include motorized zoom, variable strobe, a moving mirror
head and up to two five-position rotating gobo modules. For
more information, visit www.robertjuliat.com or contact your
local supplier for details.
Robert Juliat’s Lancelot
Audio Godsend
Soundcraft has announced the debut of its new MPM Series of multi-
purpose mixers. Designed for live sound, houses of worship and other appli-
cations, the MP is available in two standard frame sizes offering either 12
(MPM12/2) or 20 (MPM20/2) mono inputs, with each model featuring two
additional stereo input strips. Both the MPM12/2 and MPM20/2 have three
auxiliary busses, which can be configured for MPM20-2
effects or monitor sends; all main connectors are XLR and 1/4-inch metal jack sockets
for reliability. RCA connectors are provided for disc and stereo playback inputs
and record outputs. Equalization on the mono inputs is three-band with a fixed
mid on stereo inputs. All mono input channels have TRS insert sockets;
inserts are also provided on the mix output. High-quality 60mm faders for
channel control and 10-segment LED output metering are also included
in the MPM set. The MPM series can be quickly and easily converted for
rack mounting by adding optional rack rails (although only the MPM12/2 will
fit in a standard 19-inch rack). Suggested list price for the MPM12/2 is $689 (or
$722 with optional rackmount kit) and $969 for the MPM20/2. For more information,
Soundcraft log onto www.soundcraft.com.
MPM12-2
18 December 2006 • www.stage-directions.com
Martin Mania
At the recent LDI show in Las Vegas, Martin
Professional’s booth was the place to be in terms
of new products. The major lighting manufacturer
introduced a host of goodies that included
the MAC TW1, the company’s first tung-
sten lighting fixture, the MAC 700 Wash,
the companion washlight to the popular
MAC 700 profile and the new Mania
series lights.
The MAC TW1 is a 1200W tung-
MAC TW1
sten wash fixture that provides the lighting designer
a wide spectrum of colors and designs. It features a twin lens zoom
system and full CMY color mixing and dimming.
A 700-watt Fresnel luminaire, the MAC 700 Wash offers a full CMY color MAC 700 Wash
mixing system and variable CTC plus 8-position color wheel. Other highlights
include a wide range variable zoom, continuous beam shaper and smooth
dimmer shutter system.
Also unveiled at LDI were the Mania EFX700 and the Mania EFX800,
two high-powered 150W discharge effect lights. The Mania EFX700
comes equipped with an array of hues, 12 new gobo designs, a mechani-
cal dimmer, a separate shutter for fast strobe effect and 12 pre-programmed Martin Mania EFX700
macros. The Mania EFX800’s light output has a 170° spread — wider than any flower
effect light of its type, which means you can cover more space with fewer fixtures. The EFX800 contains a sepa-
rate gobo wheel with 12 gobos, a rotating parabolic mirror dish, a mechanical dimmer, a separate shutter for fast
strobe effect and 12 pre-programmed macros. For more information contact your local Martin distributor, or visit
www.martin.com.
Over The Moon
Nady Systems recently unveiled their latest product, an overhead hanging con-
denser microphone, the OHCM-200, designed for overhead miking applications
such as choruses, orchestras and stage performances. Top features of the
OHCM-200 include a smooth, flat frequency response, ultra sensitivity
and high SPL capacity for the clearest audio performance. Also, the
OHCM-200 has a permanently attached 20-foot (6.1m) cable with con-
venient integrated power module, an XLR connector and an integrated
hanging wire for ease of mounting during use. The mic is powered by
external 9~52 phantom power — no batteries are required. The MSRP
for the OHCM-200 is $99.95. For more information on this product,
visit www.nady.com.
Nady’s OHCM-200
www.stage-directions.com • December 2006 19
Light On The Subject By Amy L. Slingerland
Peace, Love
and Illumination
all photography by Kevin g. reeves
The Bethel Woods performing space
A new performing arts venue — located in the same area as a legendary
outdoor concert several decades ago — comes of age, replete with
state-of-the-art lighting and staging technology.
W
hile carefree hippies of yes- July 1, 2006, the new center was inau- the UK, New York and Washington, D.C.
teryear may have glamorized gurated with a sold-out performance by Philadelphia-based Olin Partnership
the “back-to-nature” aspects the New York Philharmonic. collaborated on the landscape design,
of the original Woodstock, today’s baby Bethel Woods features 17 build- which includes a gently falling stream
boomers expect more conventional ings, with a natural palette of wood sid- and two ponds, meandering pathways
creature comforts when it comes to ing, native fieldstone walls and copper and three bridges. Nestled in this idyl-
music venues. And Bethel Woods, a roofs. Even support buildings such as lic setting is the Pavilion, an outdoor
new performing arts center in upstate restrooms, food courts and backstage shed venue with fixed seating for 4,800
New York located on the site of the loading docks were designed to blend and lawn space for 12,000 additional
counterculture concert, delivers them aesthetically with their natural sur- spectators. JaffeHolden Acoustics of
in a magnificent pastoral setting. Ten roundings. Cleveland-based Westlake Norwalk, Conn., was acoustical consul-
years ago, cable TV mogul Alan Gerry Reed Leskosky (WRL) provided inte- tant on the Pavilion.
purchased the festival field and 1,700 grated architecture and engineering The Pavilion was designed to be
surrounding acres, envisioning a mul- design, while architectural and land- a flexible venue for all types of music,
tivenue arts complex to rival facilities scape lighting was done by George from orchestral to rock. Over the inau-
such as Tanglewood and Wolf Trap. On Sexton Associates, which has offices in gural summer, acts ranged from the
20 December 2006 • www.stage-directions.com
Outside Bethel Woods
www.stage-directions.com • December 2006 21
Light On The Subject
Philharmonic to Crosby, Stills, Nash and storm protocol, as well as installation but still wide enough apart for a motor-
Young, who also performed at the first and strike of the shell, to come up with ized chain hoist hook to pass through.
Woodstock festival (minus Neil Young). safe and effective moving and weather- The tension grid allows the installation
“The Pavilion needed to respond to monitoring procedures.” According to of rigging equipment in multiple loca-
the various acoustical requirements of James P. Reilly, the venue’s production tions at the same time, and also allows
amplified and unamplified sound,” says manager, the stage “can experience a additional equipment to be added after
Paul E. Westlake Jr., FAIA, managing breeze of 10-14 mph across it at times, scenery is in place.”
principal of WRL and lead designer for so the engineers added anchor points Technical systems in the Pavilion
the project. “A custom cherry-veneer to each tower base and also wire rope were designed for “maximum flexibility
portable shell fabricated by Wenger tethers at each corner of the ceiling to by proper placement and types of equip-
was developed for use with an orches- secure it. The towers also have teth- ment and connectivity,” explains Kent.
tra, to provide the proper acoustical ers that attach to points directly above “The venue has strategically located
environment.” The orchestra shell them in the grid.” company switches and an even spread
can be dismantled and the sections Another unique feature of this of rigging points for multiple chain hoist
stored on the periphery of the back- venue is the walkable woven-wire ten- locations. We provided a 400-amp com-
stage area, to be assembled on the sion grid made of 1/4” aircraft cable over pany switch for scenic elements and
stage when necessary. The shell incor- the stage, “which we believe is an inno- lighting, and a 200-amp audio company
porates ETC Source Four PARnels for vative and highly functional approach,” switch for touring groups, along with
an even wash of glare-free lighting says Westlake. Darrell Ziegler, a WRL an in-house portable dimmer rack for
for musicians. theatre consultant, says, “Most outdoor use when the orchestra shell is in place.
Raymond Kent, WRL’s techni- concert venues have a series of steel We kept lighting positions flexible with
cal theatre specialist and audio-visual beams or trusses over the stage which the use of multicable so that the unique
designer, says that the need to coun- requires personnel lifts and/or climbing requirements of productions could be
teract wind loads on the shell “cre- along beams using OSHA-required fall- served.” WRL also oversized the rack to
ated for some wonderful collaboration arrest systems. These are not required accommodate 96 dimmers in the future
with Wenger Corporation, Jaffe Holden using the tension grid. The wires are (it currently holds 48) so that only addi-
and myself. We analyzed many pos- spaced close enough to provide a safe, tional dimmer modules and cable need
sible scenarios of wind direction and stable walking surface for stagehands, be installed.
22 December 2006 • www.stage-directions.com
Backstage at Bethel Woods
In-house lighting includes an assort- Lycian SuperStar 2.5 standard-throw Motion Laboratories 24-channel control-
ment of about 60 ETC Source Four ellip- followspots. The stage rigging system ler. The dimming system is composed
soidals from 5 degrees to 36 degrees consists of 24 one-ton and 10 half-ton of 24 ETC 2.4kW Sensor dimmers in a
plus gobo holders and top hats, and six CM Lodestar chain hoists, operated by a portable touring rack for the orchestra
www.stage-directions.com • December 2006 23
Light On The Subject
Another view of the Bethel Woods space and audience seating
shell lighting and 48 Strand 2.4kW C21 touring dimmers.
Theatrical stage lighting is controlled by an ETC Express
48/96 console, and the orchestra shell is controlled by an
ETC Express 24/48. Theatrical wiring, stage lighting and rig-
ging were provided by Barbizon and Syracuse Scenery and
Stage Lighting.
The Pavilion’s stage house is 134 feet wide, 55 feet deep
and 56 feet high; the stage itself is 7,500 square feet with
a proscenium opening of 70 feet. Two 15-foot by 20-foot
projection screens are located left and right of the prosce-
nium, with two Digital Projections HIGHlite 12,000-lumen
DLP projectors and three Panasonic high-definition cameras.
“Projection was challenging in terms of acoustics, since they
are very powerful projectors that needed to be in an enclosed
environment to protect them from the elements,” says Kent.
To minimize fan noise without compromising the equipment,
WRL worked with Tempest Lighting and North American
Theatrix to custom-build enclosures that would keep the pro-
jector at peak ambient operating temperature while remaining
weathertight.
After a highly successful season with multiple sold-out
shows, Reilly says that “artists and managers have been very
pleased with the venue. Most commented that they can’t
wait to come back and play next year.”
Joel Reiff, lighting designer for the current Crosby, Stills,
Nash and Young tour, says, “Doing CSNY there at Woodstock
was cool! I just loved the grounds — very serene. And the crowd
there was great. I remember that as being a really good show
because the vibe was really good. It seemed like a really positive
place to be. They seem to be really trying to make a good thing
happen there.”
Amy Slingerland is a freelance writer based in New York City.
24 December 2006 • www.stage-directions.com
Theatre Space By Christine Puleo
The view of Knight Concert Hall from the stage.
all photography by robin hill
The Gem of
South Beach
A multi-million dollar arts complex
unveils to great fanfare in Miami.
T
he view from the MacArthur Causeway, which connects glittery South
Beach with the grittier downtown Miami, is a spectacular one: turquoise
waters, opulent mansions, towering palm trees and rows of colorful
cruise ships. Now, an eye-catching addition to the Miami landscape has recently
appeared, the new Carnival Center for the Performing Arts located in downtown
Miami. Nestled between expressways and Biscayne Bay, the two-pronged stone
and glass complex is visible from many angles.
The project’s architect, Cesar Pelli, always knew he wanted to make the arts
center an iconic structure. Among his broadest objectives was to make the facility,
even the interior, highly visible from a distance. So explains Roberto Espejo, senior
on-site architect of Cesar Pelli Clark Pelli, when discussing what is arguably the
most talked about new building in Florida. Pelli certainly achieved his goals, creat-
ing a visual focal point for the city, visible from land and sea, which looks unlike
anything else in the area. In fact, the center’s glass curtain walls are easily viewed
from a distance on the MacArthur Causeway approach.
Other key design team members of the Carnival Center include managers from
Artec Consultants, Inc., specializing in acoustics, and Fisher Dachs Associates, the
highly respected New York theatre consulting firm. Both firms have been with the
project since its inception. Working together for more than eight years, the three
design groups created a facility anchored by the Sanford and Dolores Ziff Ballet
Opera House, a classical European opera house, which seats 2,450. On the other
side of Biscayne Boulevard, accessible via a pedestrian bridge, sits the Knight
Concert Hall, containing 2,200 seats, and named for major donors John S. and
James L. Knight.
Another important space is the 220-seat black box Studio Theatre, flex-
ible enough to accommodate 10 different seating configurations. It is designed
to welcome smaller acts and to nurture local Miami talent. The unique Miami
26 December 2006 • www.stage-directions.com
Inside the Opera House at the Carnival
Center for the Performing Arts
www.stage-directions.com • December 2006 27
Theatre Space
The exterior of the Carnival Center for the Performing Arts
touch is the 57,000-square-foot, palm- mandate to preserve a 1929 Art Deco
tree-lined Plaza for the Arts, an open- tower, a relic from an old Sears depart-
air performance space that crosses ment store. Add to the mix destructive
Biscayne Boulevard, where traffic can be annual late summer and early autumn
halted to accommodate performances of hurricanes that inflict severe damage to
various sizes. the Miami area. Then, designers had to
“This is the most complicated per- contend with the little issue of nearby
forming arts center built in the United Miami International Airport. Located in
States in 40 years — no one tries to a fly-over zone, the center demanded
build two major performing arts build- additional acoustical considerations to
ings at once. It’s very ambitious. The silence the overhead roar of low-flying
result, after years of hard work by liter- commercial jets.
ally thousands of people, is an incred- “This is the largest stage in the U.S.
ibly successful performing arts center,” behind the Kennedy Center and the Met,”
says Alec Stoll, Fisher Dachs Associates’ explains Stoll as he gives a tour of the
project manager. 2,450-seat Opera House. The proscenium
In addition to the thoughtfully arch is 50 feet wide by 38 feet high, and
designed performance spaces, the overall the stage is about 200 feet wide
570,000-square-foot facility, which and 140 feet deep (the main stage is 127
broke ground in late 2001, has all the feet by 70 feet, the backstage is 58 feet
extras often lost to value engineering, by 84 feet, and stage left measures 61
such as ample storage and rehearsal feet by 67 feet). The resilient stage floor is
space, giving the center a luxurious feel constructed with layers of wood on neo-
and the impression that no expense prene pads, and finished with masonite; it
has been spared. Overall, the effect is also has a vented base that lets the floor
an optimal and efficient performing and breathe. Two separate orchestra pit lifts,
viewing experience. four stage scenery wagons and three
The major challenge of all performing compensating lifts make for a world class
arts centers is the marriage of design with opera house. And behind the scenes
functionality. At this particular venue, the lies plenty of equipment to ensure pro-
design teams were tested by additional ductions are well run; the stage right
factors. “Miami set a very high mark in equipment rack contains multiple touch
terms of the site; it was an enormous chal- screens to control house lighting, lifts and
lenge,” explains Espejo. some rigging. There’s also a vast loading
First, the design team had to cre- dock with four bays to accommodate
ate an inherently traditional performing even the largest road shows.
arts building, but simultaneously build a This means that the Carnival Center
structure that would effectively straddle can accommodate an opera or ballet of
Biscayne Boulevard. The finished prod- any size, both logistically and acousti-
uct is a two-part, diagonal design. Other cally. “Many signature elements are
specific design challenges included a incorporated into the Center. We have
28 December 2006 • www.stage-directions.com
Theatre Space
movable cloth systems and an adjust-
able pit to easily move the venue from
ballet to opera,” says Tateo Nakajma,
managing director and principal consul-
tant at Artec. Throughout the audience,
coffers with motorized layers of cotton
velour can be lowered or raised to meet
acoustical needs, and the dazzling gold
dome in the center hall ceiling provides
acoustic refraction.
On the other side of Biscayne
Boulevard, Knight Hall is also an acousti-
cal achievement. The centerpiece of the
symphony hall, which can accommodate
up to a 150-piece symphony and a chorus
of 200, is the elliptical spiraled ceiling
canopy weighing 130,000 pounds, an
advanced acoustical feature that can be
lowered and raised to control and direct
sound as needed. The hall also boasts
four reverberation chambers. Eighty-
four concrete doors can be opened and
closed to calibrate the amount of rever-
beration. Behind these doors, thick blue
velour drapes can be deployed to further
finetune the hall. The seating configura-
tion widens near the stage, creating a
false sense for those near the rear of the
hall of being closer than they really are.
Overall, Knight Hall has a clean, contem-
porary look with light walls and lighting
and yards of yellow-brown maple wood
accents throughout.
Both Ziff Opera House and Knight
Hall are acoustically isolated by joints
running along the length of the structure,
effectively creating the box-within-a-box
construction so important to maintaining
acoustical integrity. The two-inch joints
provide a cushion of air that outlines the
facility. Overall, every acoustic consider-
30 December 2006 • www.stage-directions.com
The Knight Concert Hall ceiling
ation has been addressed. “We worked
very carefully with the architects and
Fisher Dachs to ensure that the shape
of the rooms, the distribution of the audi-
ence and the integration of the systems
all work together to meet regulations,”
says Nakajima.
The Carnival Center has had an
unusually strong impact on Miami — not
only on the visual landscape, but the
economic and arts landscapes as well.
The Carnival Center is a welcome new
space for Miami’s resident companies,
including the New World Symphony, the
Concert Association of Florida, Florida
Grand Opera and the Miami City Ballet,
as well as smaller area arts organizations.
Overall, it is a major cultural upgrade in
this increasingly sophisticated city with a
burgeoning arts scene.
Many also see the center as a major
catalyst in the revival and rebirth of
continued on page 58
Knight Concert Hall audience chamber
www.stage-directions.com • December 2006 31
Musical Stages By Brooke Pierce
It Might As
Well Be SpringNineteenth-century German drama meets contemporary
American rock in Broadway’s Spring Awakening
COURTESY OF JOan MaRCUS
“M
y show is star, and you get to sing
moving to about whatever it is. Then
Broadway you’re still stuck in your
— it’s like a dream come life. So that was the first
true,” enthuses Steven Spring Awakening conceit for the play. My
Sater, lyricist and book- thought was that all the
writer of Spring Awakening, which opens at the Eugene O’Neill songs would function as interior monologue.”
Theatre on December 10. “I walked through the stage door and Though they briefly considered doing an updated version,
it was like, ‘Oh my God.’ I came in, and we’re just standing on the beauty of the play seemed specific to its time and place,
this Broadway stage.” But it’s taken seven years for Sater and his so they settled instead for keeping the 19th century setting,
collaborator Duncan Sheik to get their show this far. but creating the songs in a contemporary style. “The kids grab
Based on Franz Wedekind’s play, Spring Awakening is about mics and step out and rock out,” says Sater. “Then they go back,
teenagers in a provincial German town where none of the and they’re trapped in this world of breeches and buttons. The
adults will explain to their adolescent children the changes they structure of the show becomes a way of underscoring the time-
are going through — resulting in tragic consequences. “People lessness of this theme.” And it’s not just the music that sounds
have praised the fact that we’re faithful to Wedekind, which has contemporary, but Sater’s lyrics, too, are strikingly modern,
meant a lot to me, because I made a vow that we would. But the using colloquial expressions (“we’ve all got our junk, and my
truth is, we have rewritten the hell out of it,” admits Sater. They junk is you”), curse words, references to devices like stereos and
have taken the episodic play and made it a “hero’s journey” for the ubiquitous teenage verbal hiccup, “like.”
the thoughtful and intelligent Melchior, also focusing on the Which comes first for this songwriting team? “I write the
frustrations of his friends Moritz and Wendla. lyrics first,” answers Sater. “We have had a couple of great
Playwright Sater and singer/songwriter Sheik (who released experiences writing music first, but by and large, I give Duncan a
his debut pop album in 1996) first crossed paths because of lyric, and he just sets it verbatim. It’s so easy. There’s something
their shared Buddhist faith. “We just had one of those amazing almost mystic about our relationship.”
meetings of a lifetime, and I can’t really explain it otherwise,” Unfortunately, getting a musical produced is rarely so easy.
says Sater. Though he had never thought about writing lyrics, Things started out promisingly when director Michael Mayer
he and Sheik tried writing a couple of songs together for Sater’s came on board. They did workshops of Spring Awakening in
play Umbrage, and soon enough the pair were collaborating 2000 and 2001, and the Roundabout was set to put on the
on the album Phantom Moon. “I said we should create a piece first full production. But Mayer became busy with Thoroughly
of theatre. I gave him Spring Awakening and that’s when we Modern Millie, so they postponed the production for a couple
started talking about it. of years. Then Roundabout got hit with budget cuts and had
“I had long loved the play,” continues Sater, “and it had to drop the show from its roster, leaving the Spring Awakening
seemed to me that it was kind of an opera, potentially — that the team to find another home. “Everyone was just confounded
soul of song was already within the play. There’s all this unful- by it,” remembers Sater. “Here was this period script with
filled yearning, and these cries.” He felt that the haunted roman- German names, and this contemporary rock CD, and they just
ticism of Sheik’s music would be ideally suited to the material. didn’t know what to make of it. And everyone said ‘Times have
“Pop music is an outlet for this same yearning, and a release that changed, and it’s dark.’ ”
was so unavailable to those kids. In your room, you’re a rock Tom Hulce, of Amadeus fame, had seen workshops of
32 December 2006 • www.stage-directions.com
Musical Stages
COURTESY OF JOan MaRCUS
A close moment in Spring Awakening
the show and came in to help the
guys get it back on track. Eventually
they were offered a slot in the Great
American Songbook Series at
Lincoln Center in 2005, which got
the momentum going again. Says
Sater, “Out of that, producer Ira
Pittelman became interested, and
the Atlantic Theater committed to
doing it, with Ira and Tom’s involve-
ment, commercially.”
Before bringing it to the Atlantic
this past summer, they did a work-
shop at Baruch College. “That was
one of the most important things we The kids in question include Jonathan Groff, John Gallagher
did,” says Sater. “Michael was able to try out his staging ideas, Jr. and Lea Michele in the main roles of Melchior, Moritz and
the designers were able to grow familiar with the world of the Wendla, respectively. “Because we went on for seven years,
play. And the kids, who were so young, were able to come and kids kept getting too old for the cast.” But Michele has been with
learn this.” them for six years. “Somehow she always seemed to me like the
34 December 2006 • www.stage-directions.com
Musical Stages
The composers of Spring Awakening:
Steven Sater (left) and Duncan Sheik
He has found the experience of giving voice to these kids
very rewarding: “Just to write a lyric and then have someone
sing it back to you, it’s a remarkable experience. Then to see kids
onstage embody that song, act it and sing it to each other, it’s
tremendously powerful.”
Despite its dark subject matter, Sater thinks Spring
Awakening should have broad appeal. “We all went through
soul of the show,” says Sater. To find the other talented young adolescence, and that’s what the story calls out to in people.
actors, they had to do a wide search, from schools to bands. “It’s It’s as much about parenting as it is about being a child,” says
a really hard show to cast because the kids have to be able to Sater, who is a parent himself. But some of the best responses
do classical text and then be able to sing pop/rock. You have to have come from young people, as in one instance he relates
find really special individuals.” during the Atlantic run. “There was a set of high school kids
Now they’re all packing up and moving to the Eugene O’Neill that came in,” he recalls. “It was one of the most amazing per-
for the commercial run — “We’ve got a couple of new songs, formances we ever gave of the show. And afterwards the kids
we’re adding musicians” — but hopefully Broadway won’t be said, ‘Thank you so much for respecting us enough to put our
the end. “I always thought there was a future for this show at story onstage.’”
colleges, regional theatres,” says Sater. “It’s such a great oppor-
tunity for kids to do a show that’s about their issues.” Brooke Pierce is a freelance writer living in New York City.
www.stage-directions.com • December 2006 35
Toronto Theatre Spotlight Soulpepper Theatre Company
Pepper
and Spice
Main entrance of the
tom arban
Guntar Kravis
Young Center for the
Performing Arts
Jordan
Pettle and
William Hutt
in Waiting
for Godot
A theatre company born from a prestigious festival is drawing
prestige of its own with a steady menu of quality productions.
By Richard Ouzounian
M
any actors dream of form- pened to Toronto’s Soulpepper achieved success on TV, stage and
ing their own theatre Theatre Company. film, but a certain spark was lacking
company, a few even try It began with actor Albert Schultz for all of them.
— hardly any of them become an and some of his colleagues who had “We needed something to make
integral part of a city’s cultural life met during their years in the late us feel we were alive again,” says
and acquire their own multipurpose 1980s as members of the Young Schultz, speaking of the motivation
performance space in eight short Company at Canada’s Stratford that drove the 12 performers who
years. But that’s exactly what hap- Festival. A decade later, they had all banded together to form a theatre
36 December 2006 • www.stage-directions.com
Sandy nicholSon
Albert Schultz and Megan Follows in the Soulpepper production of The Real Thing
ensemble that was named by Schultz’s known for the theatre companies they Toronto’s waterfront, running only in
pre-teen children. He chuckles as he keep. In Toronto, the one that has the summer months.
recalls the way they said, “Dad, you’re attracted critical attention and audi- In 1998, they presented two
doing this to put some pepper in your ence enthusiasm is Soulpepper.” plays in repertory (Don Carlos and
soul again.” It’s almost too good to be true: The Misanthrope). The next year,
And they did. From their debut an actor-driven theatre that programs they upped the number to five,
performance of Schiller’s Don Carlos nothing but high-quality works, con- with eclectic programming that
on July 11, 1998, to the opening of sistently fills the seats and balances included Beckett, Chekhov, Molnar,
the Young Centre of the Performing the budget. Wilder and Williams.
Arts with a staging of Thornton But they’ve done it. For the last As the years progressed, they added
Wilder’s Our Town on February 1, three summers, their sellout shows Pinter, Shakespeare, Friel, Goldoni,
2006, Soulpepper has not only been have been Waiting for Godot, The Feydeau, Ibsen, Strindberg, Shepard,
the talk of the town, but word has Wild Duck and The Real Thing—not Goldsmith, Ionesco — the kind of rep-
spread across the border as well. Forever Plaid or Shear Madness. ertoire most North American theatres
Of the theatre, The New York “When we want to do a two- dream of, but only get to deliver spo-
Times wrote, “One of the best rea- hander,” jokes Schultz, “we pro- radically, while they cut the mix with
sons to stay in this city is the rethink- gram Ionesco’s The Chairs and not comedies and musicals.
ing of classical plays by the innovative The Gin Game.” “Our audiences can get com-
company Soulpepper.” The Chicago Initially, Soulpepper operated mercial entertainment elsewhere
Tribune raved that “Great cities are out of the Harbourfront Complex on in Toronto,” says Schultz, “and
www.stage-directions.com • December 2006 37
Theatre Spotlight
Sandy nicholSon
that’s our good fortune. They come to us for the more
serious stuff.”
There’s a core group of about a dozen actors who form
the backbone of most productions, but guest artists like Brent
Carver and Megan Follows come in for one or two produc-
tions. And while Schultz and his associates direct the lion’s
share of the shows, there have been significant guest direc-
tors from abroad, such as Ireland’s Ben Barnes and Hungary’s
Laszlo Marton.
It was only a matter of time before Schultz’s vision needed a
home of its own. He discovered it in a historic section of old Toronto
called The Distillery District that was being revitalized. With the
help of his board chair, Roger Garland (former vice-chairman of
Four Seasons Hotels, Inc.), he formed an alliance with the Theatre
School of George Brown, the City College of Toronto.
They moved quickly, and in 2002 they hired Thomas Payne of
the Toronto-based Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects
to design a unique space in a series of historic buildings, dating
Albert Schultz in Hamlet from 1842, that would combine eight separate performance ven-
ues, ranging in size from 50 to 400 seats, as well as sufficient class-
38 December 2006 • www.stage-directions.com
Theatre Spotlight
room space for the school, full technical of a place you belong, rather than a place final participants were chosen from 225
facilities and necessary office areas for you merely visit. applicants across Canada, eager to partici-
both organizations. Soulpepper is also devoted to the pate in what Schultz describes as “a unique
The budget was $14 million Canadian, process of education. From the start, they combination of studio training, academic
and $11 million of that was raised from have gone into the city’s schools, teach- study and applied knowledge-apprentice-
the two organizations in a capital cam- ing workshops, offering classes and making ship training with the Soulpepper main
paign. Named the Young Centre for the matinees available at heavily reduced prices, stage company.”
Performing Arts, after the family that especially to inner city students. And even They will be an integral part of
provided a major gift of $3 million, it in their new home there is a $5 rush for Soulpepper’s next season, which runs
opened earlier this year on schedule and unsold seats at curtain time for anyone 21 from January through December 2007
on budget. and under. and includes The Threepenny Opera,
The building has drawn the same kind They also have a mentorship pro- John Gabriel Borkman, Top Girls, The
of rave reviews Soulpepper productions gram for 14 teens to work with the com- Time of Your Life, The Three Sisters,
usually receive, with The Globe and Mail pany over an intensive six-week period Mary Stuart and Blithe Spirit — as well
hailing it as “the vital spark that every city each summer. as a revival of their acclaimed production
desires” while The Toronto Star deemed it “a But their newest pride and joy is the of Our Town.
masterpiece of comfort, flexibility and beau- Soulpepper Academy, just begun in June, “It’s an exciting time for us,”affirms
ty.” With its spacious central lobby, lit by a 2006, which invites 10 mid-career artists for Schultz before breaking into a laugh.
huge fireplace, a lengthy tapas bar and well- a revolutionary two-year training program, “But it’s always been an exciting time for
stocked bookstore, it creates the impression during which they are paid throughout. The us. I think that’s our secret.”
www.stage-directions.com • December 2006 39
Toronto School Spotlight Sheridan College
All photogrAphy courtesy of sheridAn college
Students flex their skills in the February 2005 production of The Music Man.
Gotta Sing,
Gotta Dance For almost 40 years, this school has been turning out
the most skilled of performers: the triple threat.
By Richard Ouzounian
“G
otta sing, gotta dance,” ing out what’s known as the “triple next to a lot of the more promising
isn’t just an empty show- threats” — performers whose dramat- young names.
biz mantra for the stu- ic and movement skills keep apace Tina Maddigan, who created the
dents in the Music Theatre program at with their musical ones. role of Sophie on Broadway in Mamma
Canada’s Sheridan College — it’s their It certainly seems to be paying Mia!, played it for two years, and
academic goal. off. Whenever you open a theatre is currently in The Wedding Singer,
And don’t forget to add “gotta playbill in Canada (and increasingly, lists Sheridan as her alma mater. So
act” as well, because this three-year in the United States), you’ll notice the does Michael Therriault, who recently
course of study is intent on turn- phrase “graduate of Sheridan College” earned unanimous rave reviews for
40 December 2006 • www.stage-directions.com
Two scenes from the November 2004 Sheridan College production of Berlin to Broadway with Kurt Weill
his performances as Leo Bloom in the es with appearing in major musicals The second year begins by intensi-
Toronto version of The Producers as playing in Toronto, which is exactly fying the study of the four disciplines,
well as his Gollum in The Lord of the what Peterson intends to happen. with more specific applications, as in
Rings, which he’ll be recreating in “Students learn to understand what it scene study, music theory and dance
London next summer. is to be a professional by working with performance. There’s also the first of
Sarah Cornell, who played Ulla professionals,” he explains. “None of two courses on the history of musical
in the Broadway and Toronto pro- the work we do here is theoretical. It’s theatre and room for a general educa-
ductions of The Producers, Jennifer all practical.” tion elective.
Stewart, the Penny of Toronto’s When asked what he thinks makes In the latter half of the second year
Hairspray, and Jeff Lillico, the juve- Sheridan’s program uniquely suc- — the midway point of the program
nile star of both the Shaw Festival and cessful, Peterson has no hesitation — actual performance becomes a
Soulpepper Theatre companies, are in answering. “It’s the evenness of major part of the curriculum, with the
more of the recent graduates who are the split in the three different fields: first of three full-scale musical pro-
drawing rave reviews. dance, acting and singing. A lot of ductions the students are all involved
And all of this hard work happens other programs concentrate mainly with. These are presented in Theatre
in a totally non-glitzy environment. on how to sell a song. Our graduates Sheridan’s Macdonald Heaslip Hall,
Sheridan College is about 40 miles know how to do the dance numbers a well-appointed 300-seat space that
from downtown Toronto in suburban and act the scenes as well.” allows them to present full-scale ver-
Oakville, and there’s nothing in its In addition, Sheridan places a great sions of the classic Broadway musi-
series of ordinary-looking low-rise emphasis on the practical side of the cals.
buildings to indicate that the Patrick business: no ivory tower syndrome This season includes She Loves
Wilsons and Kristin Chenoweths of here. There’s a rigorous series of class- Me, Candide and West Side Story.
tomorrow have been honing their es devoted to auditioning, as well as Roles are often double-cast, so that all
craft inside since 1967. time spent on how to perform in com- students get a chance to perform in a
But that’s just what’s going on. mercials, microphone technique and significant role. There’s also a “Bold
At any given time, a total of 120 stu- other essential tricks of the trade. Strokes” program each year, which
dents are enrolled in the three-year “By the time they come out of here, presents semi-staged productions of
program, working with a faculty of they’re prepared for anything,” says original Canadian works as well as
35, all of whom are experienced pro- Peterson proudly. “And that’s what “Catch a Rising Star,” an annual revue
fessional practitioners. we want them to be.” in which the students can showcase
Greg Peterson, the program coor- In the first year, students divide their talents.
dinator of music theatre performance, their time between studying four In the program’s third and final
has years of experience as a direc- disciplines: acting, voice, dance and year, the emphasis is increasingly
tor, including time at the Stratford music. There’s also a commercial placed on making the transition to
Festival and other major Canadian performance course, as well as time the professional world, with audition
regional theatres. His colleagues devoted to stagecraft, a survey of the- techniques, performance and produc-
often alternate teaching their class- atre history and computer skills. tion coming to the foreground.
www.stage-directions.com • December 2006 41
School Spotlight
By the time they graduate, the $5,000 (US) for Canadian residents
Sheridan Music Theatre students and $14,500 for students from out-
are expected to (in the words of the side the country. Scholarships are
department’s mission statement): available, both at an entrance level
“Act, sing, and dance applying through the college itself and within
a range of healthy vocal, physi- the department once the students
cal, analytical and emotional tech- are enrolled in the program.
niques; collaborate effectively; It may be 45 minutes from Toronto,
behave professionally; prepare rather than Broadway, but Sheridan
and present appropriate audi- College is certainly doing its best
tion material; utilize the inner and to shorten the distance between
outer resources of a performer; prac- their students’ dreams and the Great
tice self-assessment; employ strate- White Way. For more information
gies for personal and professional about Sheridan College, visit www1.
advancement.” sheridaninstitute.ca/theatre/.
Virtually every student finds their
first job in the professional theatre Richard Ouzounian is the the-
within a year of leaving the pro- atre critic for the Toronto Star.
gram, and the career arc of some He is the author of numer-
From the
recent graduates, as noted, is indeed ous plays, including Dracula: a
November 2003
impressive. Chamber Musical, produced at production of Man
Yearly tuition is approximately the Stratford Festival. of La Mancha
42 December 2006 • www.stage-directions.com
School Spotlight
www.stage-directions.com • December 2006 43
Feature By Christine Sparta
Beyond The
Box Office
Architectural drawing
of the State Theatre’s
new marquee
Collecting Dollars from “Shotgun
Weddings”
John Hemsath, the director of the-
atre operations at the Playhouse Square
Center in Cleveland, Ohio, an operation
R
that encompasses a number of theatres
egional theatres have realized we’re asking people to give money, but and performance spaces, has found sev-
there are more ways to bring often we forget to say thank you.” His eral ways to increase revenue. Visitors
in extra revenue besides selling outreach has bolstered his box office. to the Web site can see that they pro-
liquor and other beverages at intermis- Ticket sales are up 70 percent over the mote space rental on the first page. It’s
sion. Many entertainment establish- last two years. Schiff’s industry contacts been a popular location for corporate
ments have found innovative ways to have helped draw big names like Bob events, weddings and other fetes. The-
generate dollars and, often at the same Newhart to his stage. atre lobbies are available for $185 an
time, become a community center. Schiff has many TV credits, includ- hour for wedding photos.
“In the last couple of years, we’ve ing roles on Dallas and Newhart. He Working for the organization for
opened ourselves up to a lot of expo- had great success with Newhart’s 32 years, Hemsath has discovered
sure to the community, including leav- appearance because it attracted a that advertising the space wasn’t
ing the lights on when we’re not home,” legion of patrons, some of whom trav- really necessary after the first year
says Marty Schiff, an actor/producer/ eled from as far as Toronto just to see because it had become so popular. “We
director who is now the executive direc- the comedian. Schiff hopes to eventu- specialize in shotgun weddings,” he half-
tor for the State Theatre Center for the ally put a music series on the roster. jokes, because weddings are planned
Arts in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. It’s He also literally keeps the doors around the theatre schedule.
easy to notice the theatre because of open more with ballet performanc- A lot of couples like to reserve their
the snazzy new marquee that cost a es and classic film showings, like a weddings at the Palace Theatre because
quarter of a million dollars to create. September double bill of Easy Rider of its dramatic grand staircase. They can
Schiff builds interest in his theatre by and The World’s Fastest Indian to also rent the stage, and that can hold 500
speaking at community mainstays like coincide with a local motorcycle event. seats. The Palace has sentimental signifi-
the local Rotary Club. “All of a sudden, He would like to attract more perform- cance for Hemsath because he met his
there is a face to go with a name,” ers who could incorporate his venue wife there in the lobby and eventually
he explains. “As a non-profit theatre, on their tours. married her there. The good thing about
44 December 2006 • www.stage-directions.com
Feature
events is that they are generally guaranteed revenue, whereas a
show may or may not sell out.
Tour groups also contribute a few dollars to the outfit. Private
tours are available for $80. These visits are popular with seniors,
conventioneer spouses and social groups — people who may
not have otherwise visited the theatre.
The Playhouse Square Center has also been used as a
movie location. My Summer Story, the sequel to A Christmas
Story, was shot there. This made-for-TV movie was a good
revenue boost for the community in general. Though
Hemsath says they got involved to help stimulate the area’s
economy rather than bring in funds, this idea could be good
for theatres.
Becky Hancock, general manager of the Tennessee Theatre
in Knoxville, Tenn., a venue that has been used for political gath-
erings and as a rental for the Knoxville Symphony, has allowed
artists to record a performance for DVD distribution. She charg-
es a flat fee up front. In addition, she outfitted the space with a A wedding in one of Playhouse Square Center’s lobbies
sound and lighting infrastructure to make it easier for film and Brick, Balls and Bars
TV people to use it. People can leave a literal legacy by purchasing a seat in an
Movie premieres raise the visibility of a space to help arts center. The Tennessee Theatre has a Take a Seat Program
get eventual donors. The Lensic Performing Arts Center in as part of its capital campaign. More than 1,300 of the 1,600
Santa Fe, N.M., has premiered such films as North Country seats are adorned with brass plaque name plates on the arm
with Charlize Theron. continued on page 58
www.stage-directions.com • December 2006 45
Special Houses of Worship Section
Rime of the
Mariners At this California church, sound is paramount.
By Evan Henerson
Outside the Mariners Church
T
he congregation had been steadily growing at
Mariners Church, and the creative elements of the
services were expanding and developing right along
with those increasing numbers. Which meant that the 41-
year-old congregation based in Irvine, Calif., would need a
new house of worship to accommodate both the expand-
ing numbers and the developing styles. Complicated
theatrics and technical capabilities weren’t top pri-
orities. Comfort, sound clarity and capacity, however,
were critical.
“We’ve gone from pretty much contemporary services
to a lot of electric drums and high energy types of ser-
vices,” explains Ken Robertson, Mariners’ technical arts
director. “From a design standpoint, we needed to be able
to seat about 3,200 to 3,400 people in a room that would
be acoustically friendly to the type of music we wanted
to do.
“Also, from a stage standpoint, we wanted to build a
black box that would allow us to create sets,” he contin-
46 December 2006 • www.stage-directions.com
ues. “We don’t ever keep the same set for more than three Web site or come to visit with their building committees to
weeks, so we wanted the flexibility of what we could do see what we do.”
thematically with all of the stage.” “I see a lot of churches doing contemporary small
One $14 million construction project later, Mariners rock band type stuff, which is a little more demanding on
gained 1,400 new seats, about 30 percent additional a sound system than in previous years or generations,”
stage capacity and all the technical bells and whistles you notes Casey Sherred, a consultant at Acoustic Dimensions.
could want. In fact, there are so many technical aspects to “But a lot of churches we deal with are more contemporary
the new church that both Robertson and administrators based and headed that way. They wanted to sound good
at Acoustic Dimensions, the Dallas, Texas-based firm that and give that immersive experience they kind of expect
oversaw the project with Newport, Beach-based architects when they go to a concert.
DeRevere and Associates, now both refer to the Mariners’ “Churches are competing with the entertainment
project as a “benchmark.” Where Mariners’ former wor- industry in some ways,” he adds. “Whether it’s a church
ship hall felt like a theatre, the new venue more closely or a Blue Man Group show, expectations are going up, and
approximates a concert hall — even the back balcony churches are trying to deliver something of high quality as
bleachers have been designed in a wrap-around configura- well.” Well, $14 million — and its careful application — gets
tion to bring patrons closer to the pastor and absorb sound you quality and plenty of immersion.
caroming off the back and side walls. Mariners now has three video screens (two inside the
“It looks pristine,” says Robertson. “The worship team proscenium), considerably higher ceilings than in the previ-
and the pastor have all been appreciative of all that went ous space and more than 60 automated moving lights. The
into it. A lot of other churches have either called, seen our new worship center, which opened in 2005, also carved
Inside the Mariners Church worship center
All photos courtesy of Acoustic Dimensions
www.stage-directions.com • December 2006 47
Special Houses of Worship Section
Gear Alert
A short list of the audio HOUSE SYSTEM
equipment at Mariners Church. Speakers
Courtesy of CCI Solutions (contractors for
Mariners church project)
JBL VerTec 4888
JBL PD5322 (delay)
EAW UB52 (front fill)
EAW SB625D and
JBL ASB6128 (subs)
Amps and Processing
Crown MA and CT series
amps
BSS 9000 series processors
Console
ATI Paragon Production II
Effects
TC Electronic D-Two, M2000
and M One-XL
MONITORS
AND MICS
Monitor Consoles
Soundcraft SM12-40
Crest XRM
Personal Monitors
Shure P2T
Sennheiser EW300
Mics
Audio-Technica AT-5000
Shure UC4, UA844, UA870B
A view of the audio equipment that make Mariners Church run smoothly
out space for a fully outfitted design shop with welders a lot lesser system, and didn’t have to keep up with the
and compressors. In-house production is now possible via Joneses, so to speak.”
a video production suite connected to the auditorium. Robertson was able to draw from his experience as
The hall itself is long, contains a flat floor, and is asym- the technical director at another Orange County house
metrical with terraced seating toward the back. Project of worship, the Saddleback Valley Community Church,
designers elected not to build catwalks, but they needed which renovated its 3,800-seat multipurpose room in
a way both to bring the light in and block it off when the 1995. Acoustic Dimensions handled that project as well,
video screens were being used. Acoustic demands neces- although Saddleback Valley, unlike Mariners, had to con-
sitated a clean looking line array system with exposed tend with floor-to-ceiling glass that had the potential to
speakers and custom built cabinetry to keep the speakers adversely affect sound quality.
from blocking sightlines. Attendees of the regular Sunday services are the pri-
“Three years ago, HD was just starting to poke its mary beneficiaries of Mariners’ upgrades. Congregational
head into the church market. At the time I was doing singers perform choir-like every few weeks. A band may
research, and it was not developed enough to bring into be composed of a three or four-piece assortment of drums,
our facility,” recalls Robertson. “For our building, we spent guitars and keyboards. Since opening the new worship
about $2.8 million, where some churches of the same size center, Mariners has given the stage over to a gospel choir
might spend $8 to $9 million if they’re going to do HD and and the occasional children’s musical.
broadcast. We don’t broadcast, so we could get by with In such instances, when technical theatrical needs
48 December 2006 • www.stage-directions.com
A perspective of the worship center from the congregation
come into play, Mariners can handle
it. “We have a full-time set designer.
A lot of churches are now seeing the
value of having someone on staff to
oversee that,” says Robertson. “We try
not to do things that we’re not — either
technically or talentwise — capable of
pulling off.”
Mariners’ technical staff numbers
five full-time staff members. Between
volunteers, staff and contract labor for
things like video directing and lighting
programming, as many as 11 people
may be working behind the scenes
on an average Sunday program. Kevin
Sorg, the former resident lighting
designer, like Robertson, has worked
extensively in live production, includ-
ing duty with the Mighty Ducks of
Anaheim.
“To be honest, the church makes
us look really good when the opera-
tors know how to use the system,”
says Sherred. “With Mariners, it’s real-
ly easy. We can send people there
with confidence and know it will
sound great.”
Evan Henerson is a lifestyle/fea-
tures writer who covers theatre for
the Los Angeles Daily News.
www.stage-directions.com • December 2006 49
Special Houses of Worship Section
Look,
Listen
and
Learn
By Lisa Arnett
One Chicago-area church’s new children’s ministry theatre provides
a bright space for kids to share their teachings.
T
wenty years ago, a drive along Randall Road in the ministry, whose tiny members span in age from toddlers
western Chicago suburb of St. Charles yielded a to fifth grade.
steady view of expansive cornfields. Today, Christ
Community Church’s colossal campus has sprouted and Designing for flexibility
sprawled through the now-developed area, serving more David Schultz & Associates of Barrington, Ill., an archi-
than 3,000 members with an arts-focused approach to tectural planning firm that has designed more than 300
worship. The newest addition to serve its growing min- churches, took on the task of designing CCC’s entire
istry? KidsWorld, a $6 million children’s wing equipped St. Charles campus. The church staff envisioned the
with a 4,100-square-foot theatre space completed KidsWorld Theatre as a flexible space that would hold
in June 2006. about 300 children for Sunday morning programs.
On Sundays, CCC’s adults, as well as junior high and The result was a rectangular, stadium-style space with
high school students, gather in one of several auditorium carpet-covered concrete tiers stepping down to a wide
spaces for services that are held theatre-style, often inte- stage. The absence of built-in seating means kids can pile
grating musical performances and dance as well as skits in and casually sit along the steps, with freedom to gather
presented by the resident drama team. “We try and place in separate groups within the house. Freestanding chairs
a high emphasis on the arts,” says Randy Isola, director could be brought in only when needed, and the design
of CCC’s children’s ministry. “That gets carried through would allow the theatre to serve as a multi-functional
across the board, from the adults to students to children. space, says Schultz. “For example, having those large
We try and make sure that our church is a place where risers, it’s conceivable that if they had a traveling youth
people who are gifted in those areas can use those gifts group that needed a stopover point to sleep, say they were
to serve, and, at the same time, we want to train kids coming down from Canada or northern Minnesota, they
and help shape a new generation that is going to be pas- could use those tiers as sleeping space.”
sionate about those areas and skilled in them as well.” The architects’ primary challenge in fitting the theatre
When planning for the KidsWorld wing — the seventh into the new KidsWorld wing was that it was to be con-
phase in the church’s large-scale building and expansion tained on the main floor, allowing for staff office space
project that has continued since its 1980s inception directly above on the second floor. Because the theatre’s
— it made sense to include a theatre for the children’s pint-size audience members would be seated directly
50 December 2006 • www.stage-directions.com
courtesy of carl schoene/Mcshane fleMing studios
courtesy of larry Winers
Another view of the KidsWorld stage
courtesy of larry Winers
Inside KidsWorld at Christ Community Church
on each tier, their sight lines were
much more shallow than in a tradi-
tional theatre with chairs. “The CCC
staff was very committed to the safety
of the children as well,” says Schultz.
”You can’t make the tiers too steep,
because if kids fall off or push some- Striking lighting is a key feature at KidsWorld
one off, you’ve got a problem.”
To get the depth needed to obtain clear sight lines, they present them in ways that kids can understand and enjoy,”
went the only direction they could: down. “We had to push adds Isola.
the theatre into the ground by about six or eight feet to Two large projection screens on either side of the stage
get the volume that we needed at the front stage area, as allow staff to project illustrations or show video programs
opposed to going multi-stories above ground,” says project that align with the week’s teachings, such as a vignette
manager Michael Vander Ploeg. In addition, the space is showing a child inviting a friend to attend church with him.
also fully wheelchair accessible in accordance with the “With the building in particular, we’ve tried to get across to
Illinois Accessibility Code. the kids that we built this very cool facility, but we didn’t
do that solely for them,” says Isola. “We did that so they
Form Serving Function could have a place that they’d be excited about inviting
The KidsWorld Theatre acts as the main hub for the chil- their friends to church.”
dren’s ministry Sunday services: after the kids assemble in The KidsWorld Theatre also provides room for CCC’s expanded
separate classrooms by age for small group activities, they creative arts offerings, making sure that kids have the chance
congregate as a large group in the theatre. “When they get to take the stage themselves. This summer, the theatre served
into the theatre, there’s any number of things that might as home base for a weeklong children’s theatre workshop that
happen,” says Isola. “That’s where we teach them the culminated in a mini-production of Godspell. This past fall, the
main biblical topic of the day.” Often, there’s a music por- children’s ministry started a weekly drama workshop for kids led by
tion, ranging from a live band to a solo guitarist leading a volunteers, aiming to train them to perform their own skits for their
sing-along. Adult volunteers act out short dramas that peers at services. Though the space isn’t suited for large-scale pro-
present a biblical theme in a straightforward, entertain- ductions or lengthy shows, it has proved a smart space for family
ing fashion. “We try to take the truths of God’s word and events like a preschool night featuring comedy and juggling acts.
www.stage-directions.com • December 2006 51
Special Houses of Worship Section
Seeing the Light employed WYSIWYG virtual lighting software to design
Prior to the construction of the KidsWorld Theatre, the lighting system with a budget of less than $50,000.
Sunday-morning children’s programs were held in sev- Using ETC Source Four lights (with 26, 36 or 19 degree
eral multi-purpose classrooms with fluorescent lighting. beam angles), he created five lighting zones across the
“When they were trying to reach several hundred kids downstage area and three zones along the upstage area
and keep their attention or create anything dramatic, they to provide cross lighting for various speakers and musical
really couldn’t do it — it was pretty much lights on, lights performers. In the back lighting zone, he also added eight
off,” says Larry Winters, a longtime member of the ministry color-scrollers, as well as Altman Q-Lite fixtures, to create
and volunteer lighting director for CCC. white or colored floodlight across the stage’s back wall.
“The rest of the kids’ building is very eye-catching, just Rose Brand flies in geometric shapes line the stage, serv-
in the way it’s decorated and the graphics and the colors ing as blank canvases for color washes.
that are used,” says Isola, adding that by contrast, the “We wanted to add a lot of fun and excitement, so we
KidsWorld Theatre was designed with neutral colors: beige chose to take six of our ETC Source Four lights, and we
carpeting and light walls with a black stage wall, with the shot gobos with a break-up pattern on the left and right
investment made in lighting to change the theatre’s mood walls to create some color and some excitement,” explains
with the flip of switch. “We’ve got so much lighting tech- Winters. They also have ETC Source Four lights situated
nology in there that we can change the look and feel of the at the back of the house to project textured patterns onto
room without making the room itself the focus.” the house’s carpeted floor. Two Giotto Spot 400s by SGM
“In normal theatres, you’ll re-hang the lighting however provide the energy of moving lights during upbeat music
you want it for each show,” says Winters. “But when you’re performances. In the lighting booth all equipment is con-
dealing with a church, you have a fairly static setup, so you trolled on an ETC Express 48/96 Board with a 48-channel
have to determine what zones are going to need lighting Unison Dimmer Rack, while ETC Unison LED touch sta-
on a regular basis.” tions allow staff members to quickly light key areas with
Winters also had to consider that trained volunteers the touch of their finger.
would often run the lighting in the theatre, so a permanent Because Winters designed the lighting systems for all
setup that would serve the space’s various activities is of CCC’s auditorium spaces, he was able to make consider-
ideal. “With the space being limited and budget being tight, ations for consistency and ease of use of equipment cam-
we have a 3-point lighting system,” says Winters, who pus-wide. One such consideration was to program all lights
52 December 2006 • www.stage-directions.com
Courtesy of Larry Winers
A side perspective
on successive DMX channels, so that
if a piece of equipment is moved
from, say the KidsWorld Theatre to
the main auditorium, there’s no repro-
gramming to be done.
“Most DMX boards will handle a
very large number of DMXs so you
can keep them from overlapping,”
says Winters. “Keep in mind that you
have volunteers working the light-
ing, and they’re not as knowledge-
able about how to do these things,
so if they can take a light from one
theatre and plug it in another the-
atre, it’ll work. That’s what they want.
Not, ‘Oh I’ve gotta come in here
and redo a bunch of stuff to make it
work.’ ” Such user-friendly elements
make the technology — and the art
it enables — accessible for all, which
certainly mirrors CCC’s special intent
to keep the creative arts a core part
of worship.
Lisa Arnett is a Chicago-based
arts and entertainment writ-
er and midwest editor for Dance
Spirit magazine.
www.stage-directions.com • December 2006 53
Special Houses of Worship Section
All photogrAphy courtesy of schuler shook
By Natural
Inside Bet Shalom’s stunning sanctuary
Design
A temple outside of Minneapolis gives congregants a feeling of intimacy. By Elizabeth Weir
A
sense of ceremony and the need to connect with eye settles upon the room’s focal point, the bimah, ark and
congregants is as old as the early sacrifice of lambs to eternal flame.
honor God. To enhance communication, new houses But this sanctuary is less simple than it appears. Three sides
of worship often incorporate theatre design elements into of the back wall can be made to disappear. Sophisticated
their sanctuaries. acoustics are tuned for the spoken word, programmed lighting
Bet Shalom Congregation in Minnetonka, Minn., built and can create the illusion of reducing the room to a cozy space
completed a new temple in 2002 in which an intimate, around the bimah, and columns do much more than support
hexagonal sanctuary that seats 480 lies at the center of the the dome.
domed building. The space is elegant and meditative, a warm Congregant Tom Silver, who led the building com-
and deceptively simple room. Walls of translucent glass rise mittee for Bet Shalom, says that the congregation want-
in deeply recessed triangles to a cedar cupola with clerestory ed both an intimate sanctuary and a sanctuary that
windows. Below the cupola, a ring of 36 larger clerestory win- could expand for high holy days, yet still feel inclusive to
dows flood the room with natural light. Six slender columns those sitting in the expanded room. “We didn’t want any-
around the room’s perimeter leave the space open so that the one to feel marginalized by their seat location.” he says.
54 December 2006 • www.stage-directions.com
A periscopic look at the ceiling
The committee chose the Minneapolis architectural firm Kvernstoen, Ronnholm and Associates, a Minneapolis-based
of Benz/Thompson/ Rietow, Inc. to design the temple on a consulting firm specializing in architectural acoustics and
challenging 9.8-acre site with significant wetlands and a busy environmental noise control. “Our aim was to have everything
highway to the west. “Architects Milo Thompson and Gary integrated into a finished look that was warm, beautiful and
Milne-Rojek honed our concept,” says Silver. “It was Milo’s functional,” explains Kvernstoen. “The room’s not a bad size
idea to have the walls open to the social hall, behind the sanc- acoustically, but the hexagonal shape makes for challenges,
tuary. Milo is broad brush stroke; Gary makes it happen.” and we had to get a reasonable amount of sound insulation
With a simultaneous turn of two separately operated keys, between the sanctuary and the social hall. We used laminated
the three12-inch-thick steel-trussed walls, that measure 36 glass, two layers of glass with a cloudy middle layer. The look
feet in width and 20 feet in height, part in the middle in the was visually strong, but then we had to adjust the plane of
manner of an old-fashioned freight elevator and recess, one each pane to avoid flutter echo.”
half rising into the clerestory space and one sinking into Invisible to the uninformed eye, each triangle of glass
the lower level. The floor reseals, and the curved social hall is slightly tilted so that it does not parallel or reflect its
becomes one with the sanctuary to seat 1,200 people. equivalent pane across the room. The result is a quiet
“The walls at Bet Shalom were my first project for Door room, ideal for the spoken word, and just a hint more lively
Engineering,” says Kevin Landgraff with some pride. “We to accommodate song.
custom-designed a winch-style, vertical operating system Bet Shalom’s hexagonal sanctuary forms the center of a
with steel tracks and a pulley system housed in three of the Star of David, and the triangles of the walls augment this icon-
columns. The beauty of it is that the operating system controls ic geometry, yet never quite form a star. “The design process
the bottom wall panels; because the massive doors make the is a magical thing,” marvels Kvernstoen.
lower walls heavier, they counter-weight the upper walls. The To further add surface volume to the sanctuary, each col-
system only has to lift the 400 to 500-pound difference.” umn is slatted in bentwood cedar sections and backed by dim-
To solve the sound insulation and acoustic challenges of pled aluminum. The aluminum, called “Interweave” and made
the glass sanctuary walls, the project architect Milne-Rojek by Harrington and King Perforating Co., conceals effectively,
and Thompson teamed with acoustician Steve Kvernstoen of is sound-absorptive, and allows 53 percent air transmission
www.stage-directions.com • December 2006 55
Special Houses of Worship Section
for ventilation. These qualities make the product ideal for Bet
Shalom, since some of the support columns not only house
the counter-weight pulleys, but serve as air vents for the silent
HVAC system, too.
The same cedar wood slats-over-Interweave combination
backs the long curved curtain wall of the social hall and
absorbs sound for times when the sanctuary is expanded on
busy religious days. “This curtain wall serves a further func-
tion,” says Milne-Rojek. “The Interweave allows large quanti-
ties of air to enter the room in a case of fire, and we designed
an extractor fan into the center of the cupola.”
When spot-lit, the textured look of milled Interweave reflects
light pleasingly. Milne-Rojek applied steel geometric designs
on a base of Interweave to wrap the reading desk on the bimah
and to back the stylized, gold-leaf menorah design of the ark
that holds the Torah scrolls; the look is cohesive and attractive,
and the Interweave further softens sound in the sanctuary.
Bet Shalom’s original sound system designer, MTS, went
out of business after installing the two six-foot stacks of equip-
ment. Now, Farber Sound resolves problems as they arise,
maintains the system and installs updates.
The theatre consulting firm Schuler Shook, which has
offices in Dallas, Chicago and Minneapolis, designed the light-
ing in Bet Shalom’s sanctuary. “The biggest challenge was the
amount of glass, since glass is reflective,” says Michael DiBlasi.
“We wanted the lighting to be intimate; we didn’t want to over-
power the room with light.”
To bring the lighting down from the high cupola, DiBlasi
helped to design a hexagonal, steel chandelier that reflects
the room’s shape. “The chandelier allowed us to design soft
up-lighting to show the gorgeous cedar wood ceiling of the
cupola, and down-lighting for the congregation,” he says, dem-
onstrating the range of the Electronic Theatre Controls’ digital
Unison panel. “It’s a simple, two-circuit track system that is
adjustable, with presets in a control panel behind the bimah.”
Recessed lights ring the ceiling below the cupola, and two
groups of four ellipsoidal spots on fixed mountings are preset
for accent lighting. Two of the spots wash the sandstone-like
finish of the bimah in light and cast an intricately patterned
shadow from the eternal flame.
When a congregant approaches the bimah, during “aliya,” A view of the temple’s bimah from the congregation
to help lead the service in this most inclusive community, that
person walks up a barely perceptible cone of incline to the a high bimah, with the clergy up here and the people down
dais of a bimah that has virtually no steps. “People are uplifted there,” he adds. “A rabbi is a teacher. Here I can see eye to eye
literally and spiritually as they approach the bimah,” says Rabbi with people.”
Cohen. Not only does the inclined floor meet the requirements Bet Shalom used to lease a cramped and dark former
for accessibility set by the Americans with Disabilities Act, it church. Rabbi Cohen says that he no longer has to worry about
also embraces Bet Shalom’s egalitarian spirit. “We didn’t want how movement flows in the sanctuary and how ceremony is
56 December 2006 • www.stage-directions.com
perceived. “In this room, the power of the
service speaks for itself. The design of the
building makes it happen naturally.”
Elizabeth Weir is a freelance writer in the
Minneapolis area.
www.stage-directions.com • December 2006 57
Revelers from Playhouse Square’s “Jump Back” parties
Feature
continued from page 45
rests. Each tribute costs $500 or bring leftovers home. The organization
$1,000 depending on the location has a relaxed policy regarding drinks in
of the seat. the venues, with the exception of certain
Balls can also be a fun way to bring performances.
patrons through the door. Hemsath’s “You triple the amount of money when
venue does an annual Jump Back you do that,” he says, noting that the con-
Ball that invites people to jump back crete flooring makes cleanup a lot easier
to a different era. The theme could be than a carpeted space. Occasionally he’s
Camelot or 42nd Street, but it must gotten some grumblers, but he’s got a
have some sort of thread. “People are history-laden reply for them: “Tell that to
interested if a party has a theme,” he Bill Shakespeare. Drinks and the theatre
says. The idea is a moneymaker — he have been going on for centuries. We’re
says they make about $100,000 a year theatre for the common man.”
on these events. In the end, the concession proves to
One big way Hemsath brings in rev- be a fail-safe income generator. Hemsath
enue for his arts institution is through may have been keen to rent spaces at his
corporate sponsorships like Coca-Cola, venue, but he also knows that “it’s not
which contributes a five figure donation a huge money maker. It’s not as big as
annually. They stock plastic bottles of the bar.”
the products. Thirsty theatregoers eas-
ily down 10 cases a night. People like Christine Sparta is a freelance writer
bottled beverages because they can from the New York City area.
Theatre Space
continued from page 31
Biscayne Boulevard, once a family vaca- destination into a major and recognizable
tion destination that eventually fell into arts center. “When thinking of Sydney,
decay. All around the Center, condos many people think of the Opera House,”
and offices have sprung up, echoing the says Espejo. Within Miami’s blossoming
Center’s modern design. Pelli’s structure arts scene, there are many who hope the
is not only visible from a South Beach Carnival Center will have the same trans-
approach, but is also a desirable view for formative effect on the city of Miami.
residents of the glossy high-rise towers The Carnival Center for the Performing
clustered around the Center. The arts Arts opened its doors on October 5,
complex also provides a stunning new 2006. For more information about
venue for lectures, parties and corporate the facility, please visit the website at
meetings that can accommodate crowds www.miamipac.org
of up to 6,000 people.
Espejo likens the Carnival Center to
the Sydney Opera House, the iconic build- Christine Puleo is a freelance writer
ing that transformed Australia’s resort from Miami.
58 December 2006 • www.stage-directions.com
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Off The Shelf By Stephen Peithman
‘Tis the
Season Gift ideas for the theatre person in your life
D
ecember is the month for gift
giving, and one or more of the
titles in this month’s roundup
of new books and CDs should please
the theatre person in your life — or
yourself, for that matter.
Rising to the top is Theaters by
Craig Morrison, a beautifully illustrat-
ed history of American performance
venues in all their colorful and varied
forms, from music halls to vaude-
ville, from circuses to grand operas, producers during
from nickelodeons to movie palac- the last golden years of
es. You’ll also find burlesque the- the American musical, and their work
atres, show boats, military theatres, revolutionized Broadway productions,
Shakespearean theatres, summer including Damn Yankees (1955), Once
theatres and arenas, plus the entre- Upon a Mattress (1959) and Mame
preneurs and showmen who acted as (1966), among others. Author Andrew
prime movers of our theatrical heri- B. Harris uses the Eckarts’ sketches
tage. Essentially an annotated photo and production stills (many of them 309-0, $19.95, Thames & Hudson]
album, organized by era and geog- not seen before), to illustrate the artis- Finally, for anyone interested in
raphy, each section begins with an tic vision and technical skill behind the long-term health of the American
extensive overview, followed by the their work. He also provides a large musical, there is the remarkable Grey
photos of each theatre, with extended helping of backstage stories that make Gardens, which concerns the eccen-
captions. An accompanying CD-ROM this book as much fun as it is informa- tric aunt and cousin of Jacqueline
includes the book’s images in .tif for- tive. In short, the book is a delight Kennedy Onassis. Once among the
mat for Mac and PC, plus a direct from start to finish. [ISBN 1-57441- brightest names in the social reg-
link to the Library of Congress online 212-4, $37.95, University of North ister, by the 1970s they were East
searchable catalogs and image files, Texas Press] Hampton’s most notorious recluses,
as well as data files in the Historic If you have children on your list, living in a dilapidated 28-room man-
American Buildings Survey, Historic The Story of Costumes by John sion. Facing an uncertain future, Edith
American Engineering Record, and Peacock, has 325 colorful hand-draw- Bouvier Beale and her adult daugh-
other collections. This is a reference ings and clearly written descriptions ter, “Little” Edie, are forced to revisit
book that also invites the reader to on every page. Peacock covers every their past and come to terms with
browse its pages for a unique van- historical period, from Ancient Greek it for better and for worse. With a
tage point on the history and styles and Roman times, through the Middle book by Doug Wright, a score by
of American theatres. [ISBN 0-393- Ages and Renaissance, and on to the composer Scott Frankel and lyricist
73108-1, $75, Norton/Library present day. He portrays servants and Michael Korie, the show stars Tony
of Congress] laborers, as well as nobility and roy- Award-winner Christine Ebersole,
The Performing Set: The Broadway alty, and provides intriguing details and Mary Louise Wilson. The music
Designs of William and Jean Eckart on shoes, hats, jewelry and hairstyles. beautifully echoes the styles of
will please two groups — lovers of Besides pleasing children, The Story the eras it represents, and the per-
stage design and musical theatre of Costumes is a resource for parents formances are nothing less than
buffs. The Eckarts were designers and and teachers, as well. [ISBN 0-50051- astonishing. [PS Classics]
60 December 2006 • www.stage-directions.com
The Play’s The Thing By Stephen Peithman
The Outsiders
Plays from the perspective of those who don’t fit in
P
eople who are excluded from, or who do not feel Raffel provides an introduction and the helpful annotations.
accepted by, society often think of themselves as out- [ISBN 0-300-11564-4, $6.95, Yale University Press]
siders. That said, the experiences of people who don’t Despite its reputation as an early example of theatrical real-
match cultural ideals or social expectations often help bring ism, August Strindberg’s Miss Julie offers many clues that the
those ideals and expectations into sharp focus, as we see in this action is somehow outside time and space. The setting is late-
month’s roundup of recently released plays . 19th-century Sweden, during an all-night festival celebrating
Beyond Victims and Villains: Contemporary Plays by the summer solstice. The play’s title character — daughter of the
Disabled Playwrights is the first anthology of its kind, edited local lord — is bored, restless and lonesome. She finds herself
by Victoria Ann Lewis, founder and director of Other Voices an outsider at a servants’ party, flirting with the footman, Jean.
Workshop at the Mark Taper Forum. Included are Creeps by Both characters are trapped by class and temperament, look-
David Freeman and A Summer Evening in Des Moines by ing so desperately for an escape that they risk destroying each
Charles Mee, Jr. Subjects and styles vary widely. As a whole, other in the process. David French’s adaptation of Strindberg’s
this collection is a prime example of how disabled people disturbing and enduring drama is exemplary, with a contempo-
can offer a valuable critique of a world that non-disabled rary feel that sometimes seems more like a Sam Shepard play
people take for granted. [ISBN 1-55936-250-2, $19.95 Theatre than something from the late 19th century. [ISBN: 0-88922-
Communications Group] 549-4, $15.95, Talonbooks]
Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice is really about two Whether focusing on domestic drama or the broader realms
outsiders — Shylock, the Jew in 16th-century Christian Venice, of culture, history and politics, Chicago’s Victory Gardens
who is confronted by Portia, a woman of means in a world Theater has always worked outside the mainstream, encourag-
dominated by men. She is courted by Bassanio, who wants to ing diverse perspectives and supporting original work. In 2001,
impress her, but lacks the necessary funds. He turns to his mer- it received the Tony Award for Regional Theatre, and was hailed
chant friend, Antonio, who is forced to borrow from Shylock, as one of the country’s most important theatres for emerging
a moneylender. When Antonio’s business falters, repayment playwrights. That reputation remains secure with the publica-
becomes impossible, and by the terms of the loan agreement, tion of Victory Gardens Theater Presents: Seven New Plays
Shylock is able to demand a pound of Antonio’s flesh. Portia from the Playwrights Ensemble. The works tackle a wide range
intervenes, and all ends well (except, of course, for Shylock). of topics. Included are Pecong, by Steve Carter; Battle of the
As Harold Bloom points out in a thought-provoking essay, both Bands by Dean Corrin; Affluenza! by James Sherman; Voice of
Portia and Shylock use money as a means, but to very different Good Hope by Kristine Thatcher; Hanging Fire by Claudia Allen
ends. Her wealth means an expansion of possibilities, whereas and Free Man of Color by Charles Smith. [ISBN 0-8101-2346-0,
Shylock’s world shrinks dramatically by play’s end. Burton $ 34.95, Northwestern University Press]
62 December 2006 • www.stage-directions.com
index of advertisers
THEATRICAL For more information about the companies advertis-
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ZFX Flying www.zfxflying.com 53
Answer Box By Erik Viker
Creating
a Diversion
evAn ShuSter
If your rigging is causing a problem with
your scenic elements, you might consider
the following solution.
A view of the diverters
Andrew rich
The scenic design for The Winter’s Tale at Susquehanna University included a pair of flying arch flats
immediately behind and slightly overlapping a central arch flat. Rolling diverters allowed the scenic transi-
tions to happen smoothly, with no risk of friction, and no need to adjust where lighting and scenery were
placed by the designers.
H
aving many rigging linesets to choose from can some- axle ends and 3/8” diameter holes for the J-bolts used to fasten
times become a curse when the battens are too close the diverter to a channel steel grid. Weld the frames together,
together to accommodate that extra-wide piece of and carefully grind or file the welds and exit holes after drilling.
scenery. If your counterweight rigging system pick-up lines Use 5/16” J-bolts to place each diverter so it touches the steel
pass through an accessible steel grid, you can use roller divert- cable lift line at the center of the roller. Thoroughly tighten each
ers to slightly change the vertical positions of each line and J-bolt to ensure the diverters cannot slide out of position.
move an entire batten upstage or downstage several inches. The diverter technique should be used carefully because
The devices pictured here are suitable for a channel-steel grid lift lines must be moved only slightly from their profession-
and are modified from a design used at the Bass Concert Hall in ally installed locations to avoid causing friction where the
Austin, Texas.The rollers are two-inch diameter conveyer rollers vertical steel cables exit the grooved blocks. If more than three
made of 12-gauge steel with steel ball bearings. Most industrial inches of extra space is needed between battens, a redesign
supply companies, such as McMaster-Carr, can provide rollers of the flying scenery or equipment locations might be the best
of this type, and a 300-pound capacity roller with a retractable course of action.
7
/16” hex axle is used in this model. The retractable axle allows
you to easily install the roller to the assembled frame.
Begin by cutting the steel components for each diverter, and Erik Viker is an assistant professor of theatre at
carefully grind all cuts as necessary for safe handling. Each Susquehanna University, where he serves as techni-
frame is made from two sections of two-inch wide 3/16” angle cal director for the Department of Theatre and teaches
steel for the sides and 1” wide 3/16” steel strap for the roller- courses in theatre production, stage management and
length connector panel. Drill 5/8” diameter holes for the roller dramatic literature.
64 December 2006 • www.stage-directions.com