Tobin Center for the Performing Arts a Star on San

Home , San Antonio Symphony

www.lightingandsoundamerica.com May 2016

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Tobin Center for the Performing

Arts

A Star on

San Antonio’s

Riverwalk

ALSO:

Carrie Underwood

Blake Shelton

Prolyte’s New Factory

ETC’s ESOP Program

Martin by Harman MAC Viper Performance

Sonny Sonnenfeld Remembered

Copyright Lighting &Sound America May 2016 http://www.lightingandsoundamerica.com/LSA.html ARCHITECTURE Copyright Lighting &Sound America May 2016 http://www.lightingandsoundamerica.com/LSA.html Under the Sparkling San Antonio Gets a World-Class, Multipurpose Performing Arts Center

Veil By: Randi Minetor r a v i j n e M k r a M

: The Tobin Center is wrapped in a shimmering o t mesh veil, blending the architectural concept o h

P with the San Antonio environment.

46 • May 2016 • Lighting &Sound America Photos: Steve Jennings A C f r s s m a t t t a u a o u h h e h k

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4 7 ARCHITECTURE

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4 9 ARCHITECTURE

Lighting within H-E-B Hall can be choreographed to fit the performance The sound system in H-E-B Hall includes Meyer Sound MICAs, JM-1Ps, onstage. MSL-4s, and HP-700s.

also can change the configuration of the orchestra hall, for fairly massive surfaces—a concrete floor or a wood floor example, using concert seating in part of the hall and on concrete. By no means is it lightweight construction.” adding cocktail tables in a terraced arrangement. “The Working together, Gala and Akustiks developed a floor majority of the rentals are looking for the flat configuration construction plan using heavy, thick wood and the steel that can happen below or at stage level, but other configu - plate described earlier, ensuring that no bass energy would rations are easy,” says Dachs. “There’s a great amount of be lost in the floor. “The double basses and the other flexibility in this system.” stringed instruments retain the acoustic warmth,” says With more than a year’s usage and almost daily conver - Todd. “It was a big change for Gala, so you can imagine all sions on the house schedule, Tobin Center’s vice president the ripple effects of engineering the structural capacities.” of facilities and operations, Jack Freeman, says the floor The floor is only one component in the sound quality has more than lived up to expectations: “Its functioning is and controllability of the room. Akustiks began working outstanding. People are mesmerized by it. We have a with the Tobin Center staff and architects at the very person onstage with a round circle that controls the floor, beginning of the design process. “If you look at the plan of and people in the back to keep an eye on the rows. If the H-E-B Performance Hall, the basic width of the room is someone drops something and it blocks the seats, we see not unlike the great shoebox concert halls in Europe,” says it and say, ‘Stop,’ and the person running the computer Todd. “Then we bring in the horseshoe shape that’s just takes the finger off the button and it stops.” reminiscent of the great opera houses. Sizing the room to In designing the convertible floor, Gala determined that the seat count helps with the acoustic power and acoustic performance halls wanted high-quality materials in addition gain.” to simple functionality. “Each one looks like a permanent Addressing the needs of the resident San Antonio venue,” says Robert Heimbach, Gala Systems vice Symphony, the team specified the Wenger Diva orchestra president. “Rodney Smith told me they were going with shell, as well as a forestage reflector. “The reflector sits this floor because of three main points: It was highly trans - right above the orchestra pit,” says Todd. “For example, in formable, it was quick, and it looked good in all of its the opera mode, the reflector is set in a flat position, configurations.” parallel to the stage, such that the sound from the s t c e

The floor itself includes a high-quality finish and a subfloor orchestra pit is somewhat maintained relative to a singer t i h c r

with a 1/4 " steel plate to make it robust without sacrificing onstage. In the ballet mode, we create an angle, so the A

the look of a permanent floor. “No one walking into the downstage edge of the reflector is higher than the upstage M L

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space will know that it’s a convertible hall,” said Heimbach. edge. We’re now directing more energy from the orchestra e t r u o

into the audience, which masks some of the footfall noise.” c

, r a v i Acoustical harmony Akustiks brought an extensive amount of adjustable j n e M

The venue floor plays a critical role in the sound quality of acoustic material into the walls and up into the ceiling k r a

the hall, so principals from the acoustical design firm space, giving the house sound technicians the ability to M

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Akustiks toured to venues in Canada to see the Gala floor adjust the room for resonance and responsiveness for the I R

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in action. “From an acoustic point of view, one of the symphony, and to shift to controlled acoustics for popular o h P

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critical aspects for any concert hall is that the acoustic music events. “All of that material is retracted and stored r a v i j

mass of the boundary surfaces is high enough to retain the outside of the room in pockets, so in symphonic mode, the n e M

bass energy,” says C. Russell Todd, principal with only acoustic absorption is the audience,” says Todd. “It’s r a M

Akustiks. “If you look at the great concert halls in Europe, all automated—there are doors that close on each pocket.” t f e L

they tend to be thick plaster on masonry. Any time we Delivering air at a very low velocity plays an important o t o h

design a multipurpose hall like the Tobin, we design it with role as well. “We want to create the opportunity for the P

50 • May 2016 • Lighting &Sound America performers to have a full range of dynamic progression,” you can choreograph the lighting to go with the says Todd. “So the quiet moments can be truly quiet performance itself,” says Shaw. during the performance. We often say that the splendor of The architectural team chose an arabesque pattern—a music happens at the highest sound levels, but the magic scrolling texture of foliage and curving lines found in the of music happens at the edge of silence.” original auditorium—for the surface of the balcony fronts. “The use of pattern and color and light came from things The 360° lighting experience we saw in the city—we looked at the light and the trees, Inside H-E-B Hall, audiences have something special to the tradition of decorative ironwork and veils, the interplay entertain them long before the performance begins. LMN of patterns,” says Indvik. “They were all part of the local Architects conceived of the lighting within the main hall as culture and systemic to the quality of the place.” “part of an integrated set of ideas,” notes Erik Indvik, one The pattern only begins with the balcony fronts, of the project’s designers. “How do you bring that however. The textured effect is screened across the walls, excitement on stage into the room? We marry the and executed as perforations in the wood panels. “It’s also theatrical with the architecture of the room itself. The on the house curtain itself,” says Huggard. “We had it sense of anticipation and excitement before the house hand-painted onto the velour by [Fairview, New Jersey- lights go down is part of the experience that starts with the based] iWeiss. There’s no other house curtain that I know exterior LED lights on the veil. The external presence sets of that has this similar look and feel, this special quality.”

r the tone for the event, something everyone will experience Even the orchestra shell picks up the house design, a v i j n

e together inside the auditorium.” requiring a custom dot pattern on the veneer the likes of M k r Just as the play of light on the external veil picks up the which Wenger had not encountered before. “The architects a M

o changing sunlight and sky, the lighting in H-E-B Hall house wanted to incorporate a series of dot patterns that would t o h

P has its own interactivity. “For any particular performance, evoke images of clouds, ocean waves, or wind currents,”

The Wenger Diva shell was custom-designed to match the pattern in the house curtain and walls.

www.lightingandsoundamerica.com • May 2016 • 51 ARCHITECTURE

says Mark Ingalls, Wenger product manager for the the dimming system, and Altman cyc and ground row performing arts. “We did some research and found a lights. The theatres have moving light capabilities as well, company that was able to paint these patterns on 4 x 8 using Clay Paky Alpha Spot QWO 800s. Three Robert sheets of veneered plywood. Each individual sheet had a Juliat Cyrano followspots complete the lighting inventory. different pattern. We developed very detailed drawings to “In addition to normal dimming capacity, there was a lot make sure we had every sheet in the right place.” of thought put into providing some dedicated switching To make the most of the patterns, the architects and FDA power for automated and LED fixtures, as well as worked with lighting designer Teal Brogden, senior principal converting the dimmers to non-dimmer switchable power,” of HLB Lighting Design in Los Angeles, to design lighting that says Dachs. “We went with ETC modules that are could illuminate the patterns, change to fit that day’s changeable from a dimmer to a relay. This allows the production or event, and fascinate the audience. The result: facility to change quickly and seamlessly as they adopt “The balcony fronts have front-lit LEDs to light the panels, more LED sources.” and backlit LEDs to light the perforations,” says Huggard. The Each performance space has its own MA Lighting house lighting operator can fine-tune the color selections and grandMA2 light lighting console, a control system with a any movement of the color during the production as appro - nearly infinite number of presets, cues, sequences and priate, making the entire hall part of the light show for a music effects. The consoles can control both conventional and act or creating a sultry glow for a symphony concert. “When moving lights, as well as LEDs, videos and other media, Renée Fleming performed here, they matched the color of the providing the Tobin Center’s two halls with the flexibility they balcony fronts to her dress,” Huggard adds. “She said that need to handle lighting for just about any kind of event. she wouldn’t play in another hall unless they found a way to In addition, Texas Scenic Company sales and design rep make the hall match her outfit.” Roy Harline reported that company switches were installed throughout the building, giving guest events the opportunity Onstage: Turn on a dime to access power wherever they need it. Acting as the The challenges of twice-daily turnarounds in H-E-B Hall principal equipment dealer for the entire hall, Texas Scenic and the Studio Theatre would be enough to make most provided Lex Products switches, making it easy and production managers reconsider their professional options. convenient for event crews to bring in their own dimmer “I try not to think about it, to be honest with you,” and audio racks, motor controls and other powered gear. laughs Sean Jenkins, Tobin Center technical director. He Backstage, the rigging system in H-E-B Hall includes credits his “tremendous staff”—a measure of quality rather more than 90 Texas Scenic counterweight linesets, as well than volume—for the center’s ability to turn on a dime and as five TAIT-Stage Technologies automated linesets that move swiftly from one event to the next. The aggressive operate the main curtain and the soft goods rep plot— schedule has created year-round work for members of blacks, legs, and other curtains. Raynok chain hoists lift the IATSE Local 76. side lighting onstage, making it easy to lower the lights for Venue management made the decision early on to stay maintenance. Staging Concepts provided a large stage trap with well-known, traditional stage technology, making it easy system with a maple tongue-and-groove surface. for any visiting performer or touring show to get up and When the San Antonio Symphony is scheduled, it takes running in the shortest possible amount of time. “The just three linesets to move the Wenger Diva shell into thinking was not just about cost, but about ease of use,” place. The shell’s three sections weigh 3,800lb, 3,600lb, says Huggard. “They were more comfortable with conven - and 3,200lb respectively, but “once they get going, it’s tional systems that they could use more quickly and very smooth,” Jenkins says. “The shell goes in very, very rationally than fully automated ones. People can put in a full easily.” PARs built into the shell ceiling are already focused day’s work without having to be retrained.” for the orchestra, so the changeover into a concert setting Within these parameters, the Tobin Center is well has become a fairly simple process. equipped for its resident companies and guests. Jenkins “It’s always the risers that take up the time,” Jenkins lists a remarkable sound equipment inventory, including notes. “Our risers are StageRight, and we had them Meyer line-array loudspeakers, four Meyer 700-HP custom-made—they are beautiful and the symphony loves subwoofers on each side of the main stage, “tons” of them. They are quite heavy, though, so picking those up Shure wireless and handheld microphones, and a DiGiCo and getting them in takes time. As far as functionality, SD9 live digital console in front of house. though, I couldn’t ask for better.” The center began with a fairly limited lighting inventory based on its original budget, but this has grown with A place to call home demand for daily use of the spaces. Conventional lighting Nestled into one of the pieces of the original building, the now includes a complete inventory of more than 150 ETC Alvarez Studio Theater is an octagonal black box. “It’s Source Four ellipsoidals and PARs, ETC Sensor racks for stretched out from a circle to an oval, a geometry we had

52 • May 2016 • Lighting &Sound America The house lighting operator can fine-tune the color selections and movement as appropriate, making the entire hall part of the light show.

not done before,” says Huggard. “Part of the mission of and have a dramatic reveal as the door goes up. Or you this facility is to support smaller organizations that can’t can have a larger event and leave the door up. These well- afford a venue of their own and don’t have a place to call planted seeds are starting to bear fruit now.” home. And when it’s not being used as a performance The last of the three performance areas, the Riverwalk venue, it can be rented for weddings and banquets and so Plaza, features an outdoor 18' x 38' video screen to give on.” (Staging Concepts supplied aa flexible 200-seat passers-by the opportunity to bring a lawn chair and watch a platform package to the Alvarez.) sold-out performance, see a family movie for free, take part With its dark blue palette usually seen under subdued in a yoga class, or enjoy an orchestra concert. “The plaza lighting, the room can fade quietly into the background blends so well with the building design,” says Huggard. “It’s while a production takes place on stage—but it has its part of the facility rather than something just tacked onto it.” own character, Huggard notes. “When you turn all the The plaza has created opportunities of its own to lights on, you can see that the dark blue walls are actually connect with a much wider audience, Fresher says. “We a stained wood grain,” he says. “It has a lot of texture and had some touring shows that sold out very quickly, so we vitality. To make the space even more convivial, one of the asked them if we could open it up and show them outside. doors is a guillotine with a glazed wall overlooking the There are a number of those types of events, where we’ve Riverwalk, so you can have a reception in the lobby space flipped a switch and people bring their lawn chairs and blankets, and come and see it. We do movie night—we pick a fun family movie, and people come. We’ve done Saturday morning yoga, spin classes, health programming.” “We are pretty much a 24/7 building,” said Fresher, who was with Madison Square Garden and The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Connecticut for ten years before taking this position in San Antonio. “There’s someone here almost all the time, doing something. What we haven’t had is downtime—a lot of performing arts centers slow down a bit in June, July and August, but we e s s a haven’t experienced that. We decided to keep our foot on C a L

d the gas and see what happens.” E

: s o t o h

P Randi Minetor is a freelance writer and author living in The Alvarez Studio Theater offers a convertible space that serves well for Rochester, New York. small productions, concerts, and special events.