Concert Halls • Theaters • Opera Houses • Convention Centers • Cinemas • Arenas Auditoria

Concert Halls • Theaters • Opera Houses • Convention Centers • Cinemas • Arenas 21 Annual 2015 Inside: Culture injection: Dr Phillips Center for the Performing Arts Greek revival: Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center Arts funding: The quest for alternative financing models Las Vegas Arena: Sin City’s next entertainment mecca Published by

UKIP Media & Events Ltd masterpiece Center: ’s most radical creation yet DESIGN THEATRE PROJECTS CONSULTANTS Designing for education Creating academic venues that meet the needs of different clients calls for an investigative and collaborative approach

esigning successful creative “New users, especially young users, will not read spaces in an educational the manual before they operate the equipment; environment starts with asking they’ll play rst and ask questions later,” says the right questions in order to Tom Lamming, stage engineer for eatre clearly understand the users’ Projects. “In educational theaters, we can’t Dneeds and goals. Will the space primarily be make the same assumptions that we make in a used for learning or will it host professional professional environment – the actions of the performances as well? What departments user will be dierent. We have to design and will use it? Will it have non-arts users? Is the specify equipment – especially mechanized school a conservatory, training students toward equipment – with more safeguards.” professional arts careers? Will it introduce “Our responsibility is simple, yet invaluable,” students to the arts by providing performance explains John Runia, theater designer for opportunities? eatre Projects Consultants eatre Projects. “We’re a catalyst, bringing all explores how answers to these questions (and the various users together and facilitating an many others) drive the design decisions that understanding of everyone’s needs in order to ultimately result in a space that is uniquely suited shape the design.” to meet each institution’s vision. “We don’t just reect back to what the school Spaces for arts training asks for in its brief,” says John Riddell, project In spaces intended for arts training, manager for eatre Projects. “We analyze it, understanding a school’s arts curriculum is as ask questions and then oer a solution that important as evaluating the level of intensity encompasses what they’ve asked for, as well as dedicated to training students. what they need to achieve it.” For example, the Guildhall School of Music eatre Projects works with its clients to & Drama in is a conservatory, training prioritize their needs, helping them identify actors, musicians and technicians. Its curriculum primary and secondary uses for the space based focuses on music rst and classical drama on the school’s curriculum and mission, which second. For the school’s new space, Milton Court, helps align needs with the developing design. eatre Projects designed a world-class concert “If they’re teaching mostly drama, but also hall that gives student musicians and technicians want to do some dance, they might not need a the opportunity to train in the same professional- dedicated dance space, but a drama theater with level conditions they can expect to experience the capability to also work for dance might meet during their careers. both needs,” says Riddell. But, Riddell notes, “ is kind of specialized e other essential thing to remember when training oen benets from dierent room designing educational spaces is that rst-time forms to introduce students to the many types users are oen untrained and inexperienced. of activities they might encounter professionally. Architects Sternberg/RHWL von Morley Photos:

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Main: Guildhall School of Music & Drama’s new concert hall Insets: Drama rehearsal room and studio theater

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Above/right: New Mexico State University’s Center for the Arts’ new and intimate theater has been designed not only Kessler Tom to bring the audience closer to the performers, but to give students the opportunity to use industry-standard equipment in the safest possible setting

at will help them to understand the nuances of students the chance to train on equipment the spaces they’ll be working in aer graduation.” common in the industry. “We want students So in addition to the concert hall, eatre to be able to operate everything in the safest Projects designed two smaller spaces – a drama environment possible – so the booths are bigger theater, focusing on theater and the spoken to hold full classes, and we used stairs backstage word, and a exible studio theater for rehearsals instead of straight ladders, which would require and experimental performances. Both can also fall protection,” says Ferguson. accommodate musical performances that need Cheltenham Ladies’ College in southwest more intimate space than the large concert hall. England is committed to providing a very broad e liberal arts program at New Mexico State education for girls aged 11 to 18. e curriculum University’s (NMSU) Center for the Arts in specically encourages students to embrace Las Cruces, New Mexico, wanted to encourage things they are passionate about – from sports student designers and performers to take risks, to intellectual pursuits and cultural activities. “It but the university felt that its old facility – a small isn’t a conservatory,” Riddell says, “but the school thrust theater with no y space – restricted the wanted to support the arts really well with a great school’s performance training and hampered performance space for students.” eorts to expand its technical program. For the design of its new Parabola Arts NMSU’s arts curriculum concentrates on Centre, the school wanted a space for drama dramatic acting and musical theater, and also that could also support occasional small musical has the benet of a professional acting company ensembles. In response, eatre Projects in residence. So eatre Projects designed designed a practical room, primarily for the an intimate theater for the spoken word and spoken word, with manually adjustable features musicals, with two sloping balconies, bringing that enable the proscenium theater to host music the audience closer to the performers. Michael performances. Large enough for students to learn Ferguson, project manager for eatre Projects, proper performance techniques such as voice notes that the design team worked to extend projection, and with contemporary equipment creativity, safety and a supportive environment to learn current technical production practices, beyond the performing area. e new theater the Parabola Arts Centre is still small enough to includes a full stagehouse with a contemporary nurture student performers and technicians in counterweight rigging system, which gives a safe, intimate environment.

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Tom Cronin/Foster Wilson Architects Cronin/Foster Tom Wilson Architects Cronin/Foster Tom

Sammonds Photography

Spaces for global communities theater at NYUAD. “We get to question, query, Main/above: The Parabola Arts eatre Projects has seen an emerging trend challenge and hold the design team to the brief,” Centre at Cheltenham Ladies’ among its educational clientele: schools with says Tom Davis, associate project manager for College has been designed with manually adjustable multiple international campuses. While the eatre Projects. Recognizing NYU’s emphasis features for both spoken word essentials are similar to other training programs, on student training, eatre Projects is making and musical performances and the need to understand curricula and sure that the technical facilities are scaled training intensity remains, eatre Projects’ appropriately to accommodate more people than approach to international campuses includes usual. “ ey need to be able to take students paying close attention to consistency and to places where normally only one or two familiarity of spaces for students and faculty. professionals would go. A whole class might need Two models with diering needs are to go up to the roof, where a single rigger would becoming apparent. e rst is a university usually work,” says Davis. developing an international campus linked to its Davis continues, “Even our equipment primary campus. e second is a charter school, purchases reect the need for students and usually primary- and secondary-level education, faculty members to seamlessly transition with campuses in multiple countries. between international campuses. We want to give Globally oriented universities such as New them a sound grounding in the equipment and York University (NYU) are at the forefront of the technology, as well as safe operation, that they university model. NYU’s Abu Dhabi campus on would see on other campuses in the NYU system Saadiyat Island (NYUAD) is the newest member – and, most importantly, when they graduate and of the NYU global network, which includes work professionally.” campuses in 13 countries. Curricula are designed But innovative, globally based educational to enable students and teachers to easily move models aren’t limited to higher education. throughout the network without leaving the Avenues: e World School, a charter school university’s resources. e idea behind NYU’s based in New York City serving primary- and global campuses is to mirror the diversity of the secondary-level students, plans to open campuses students and faculty, as well as fostering the ideal in most of the world’s major cities over the next of the global citizen. 15 years. Avenues’ goal is to provide a single eatre Projects is currently working as international school with multiple, integrated an independent advisor to NYU for the new campuses connected by a shared curriculum.

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Having a consistent pedagogy throughout all of what’s new in educational performing arts its campuses is important to Avenues, ensuring buildings. In contrast to buildings designed for that students relocating with their families have a traditional arts departments, these spaces are consistent education. When Avenues approached intended to bring the arts into other areas of eatre Projects about designing a theater space education. “ ese clients don’t want a traditional for its new campus in Beijing, it was clear that the theater, they want to explore alternate, immersive design needed to be scalable to serve as a guide educational environments,” says Jules Lauve, for future campuses, as well as customizable for project manager, eatre Projects. Brad Feinknopf Brad the specic needs of the Beijing campus. When Northern Kentucky University in “ ere’s a template for an Avenues classroom, Highland Heights, Kentucky, was pursuing its Above: Northern Kentucky University’s Griffin Hall is but the school was less sure about the template most recent space, Grin Hall, it was the College a multidisciplinary venue for an Avenues theater,” says Benton Delinger, of Informatics behind the brief, not the College that features an integrated project manager for eatre Projects. “Our of Arts & Sciences. And it wanted a unique space video wall and removable goal for this project was to provide a package of – a digital auditorium where collaboration and seating on retractable options to choose from throughout the system. exibility were key and integrated technology telescoping platforms for e local architect in each country starts with could expand student and faculty creativity. a flat-floor configuration the template scaled to the size appropriate to e challenge in designing experimental the location and then eatre Projects provides spaces is to avoid restricting how the space advice tailored to the specic space being built. can be used. eatre Projects’ solutions focus What’s important is that there is now a footprint on providing infrastructure to support any and a common vocabulary throughout the school possible setup. Grin Hall was designed to system.” bring together people from a range of disciplines e space, now in design, will accommodate – artists, musicians, doctors, scientists – to classes, assemblies, small music ensembles, study information and communication in their school theater productions as well as local broadest social context. Outtted as a studio performing arts and event rentals. Students theater performance space, the main auditorium at Avenues Beijing will enjoy a space and includes a large, integrated video wall and equipment similar to what they can expect, not glassed-in breakout rooms around the balcony. only at another Avenues campus, but also if they e seats include removable, fold-down tables go on to study performing arts at university level. for laptop use and are on retractable telescoping platforms to create a at-oor conguration. Spaces for interdisciplinary exploration “ e multiple congurations and multiple High-tech, interactive laboratory spaces for uses in Grin Hall permit exploring media, exploration and research are at the leading edge performance, collaboration and artistic statement

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Virginia Tech Virginia Tech Virginia

Main/above: The distinctive in ways that are unbridled by conventional Curriculum-driven design Collaborative Performance con gurations and technology,” says Lauve. It’s clear that the ‘education’ part of an Lab at Virginia Tech’s Moss Similarly, the creative drive behind the educational performing arts space has a major Arts Center provides a Collaborative Performance Lab (known as impact on the nal design. Success relies on the playground at the intersection e Cube) at Virginia Tech’s Moss Arts Center design team understanding who will be using the of the performing arts, in Blacksburg, Virginia, was not the theater space and what the institution hopes to impart to new-media and education department, but the newly formed Institute for its students. Conservatories – with experienced, Creativity, Arts, and Technology – a research pre-professional students – require professional- center whose mission blurs the lines between the level facilities and equipment, oen with multiple arts and sciences, bringing together art, design, room types, to provide real-world surroundings. engineering and science to fuel innovation. Teaching institutions require realistic facilities “We couldn’t guess everything they would do and extremely robust equipment to support less in this space,” says David H Rosenburg, project experienced students who may or may not manager for eatre Projects, about creating make the arts into a career. Globally oriented an arts laboratory capable of exploring the schools – at every educational level – need intersection of such diverse disciplines. “So we facilities that are consistent throughout their wanted to deliver something that was in nitely systems. And experimental spaces belonging to exible.” Essentially a robust black box theater, schools at the cutting edge of technology, art and e Cube is a large performance, rehearsal communication need rooms unconstrained by and audience space surrounded on all sides by traditional models, allowing students and technical galleries. teachers the room to breathe, think and create. Calling it “more laboratory than performance Each institution will have its own approach space”, Rosenburg notes that the design team to student training, but, as John Runia explains, had to resist the temptation to install permanent “Every school wants its students to experience features that might inhibit the creativity of the everything the arts can oer. In theater, that’s users. Instead, the focus was on infrastructure not just performing. It’s lighting and box oce, and equipment – chain motors, theatrical front-of-house, marketing, costuming, stage- draperies and a 32-tall gridiron (instead of a managing and all the stu that’s not onstage. typical pipe grid), capable of rigging lighting, For every performer, there are 10 people behind scenery, props and video and audio equipment in them doing all the things that have to be done. in nite combinations. With thoughtful design, we can expose students “We gave them a blank canvas with in nite to all of that.” n possibilities,” says Scott Cross eld, theater designer for eatre Projects. www.theatreprojects.com

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