Architecture

ARCHITECTURE Copyright Lighting&Sound America December 2007 www.lightingandsoundamerica.com December 2007 • Lighting&Sound America SIDNEY harman’s GIFT An audio industry legend makes wo weeks after the possible a superb new venue for T September 15 ribbon the Shakespeare Theatre Company cutting, sponsored by Target, and a scant three By: Judith Rubin Photography: Tom Arban years after groundbreaking, the October 1 opening gala façade and marquee of Sidney Harman Hall, the fronting the assertive, new sparkling new venue born building on F Street, audio of the Shakespeare Theatre professionals will always Company in downtown be able to feel a rush of Washington D.C., was a insider’s pride. tony international gathering Spreading over 67,000 wide variety of non- featuring the likes of sq. ft., Sidney Harman Hall Shakespeare events, from Chelsea Clinton, Michael is a remarkable space that ballet to wedding recep- Chertoff, Wynton Marsalis, represents the genesis of a tions, some 200 of them in Patti LuPone, and the new, world-class performing the first season. Duchess of Gloucester. arts center. Harman was a Since joining the Craftworkers (BAC), each One of the project’s major advocate for building Shakespeare Theatre with its own entrance. The most attention-getting the company’s new venture Company as managing Shakespeare Theatre aspects is the key philan- to support a variety of director in 2002, Nicholas Company owns the lower thropic role played by performing arts. Goldsborough has worked five stories. The upper six Sidney Harman, who sits And so it came to be. with the board of trustees are owned by BAC and, in on the Shakespeare Shakespeare Theatre to fulfill the vision of a addition to comprising some Theatre Company’s board Company (founded in 1985, national destination theatre 120,000 sq. ft. of office of trustees. Now in his late with Michael Kahn as and oversee the plan to space, the floors provide 80s, the founder of Harman artistic director since 1986), create the Harman Center excellent overhead sound International Industries and its 451-seat Lansburgh for the Arts. He helped bro- insulation for the theatre. spouse of Rep. Jane Theatre and the new, ver- ker the real estate deal that The design team for the Harman (D-California) con- satile, 775-seat venue now should help keep things on building architect, tributed $19.5 million of the function under the umbrella a good financial footing: SmithGroup Inc., was building’s $80-million budget, of the new Harman Center Sidney Harman Hall is headed by Colden (Coke) including some $1 million in for the Arts. This allows the nested into an 11-story Florence. The architect for audio equipment. (The city company to run more pro- office building, co-owned the Sidney Harman Hall of Washington also provided ductions—a total of eight by Shakespeare Theatre design team was Toronto- $20 million in funding.) this season, up from five Company and the based Diamond and When they see Harman’s previously—and for the International Union of Schmitt Architects Inc., name on the glass theatre umbrella PAC to book a Bricklayers and Allied including principals A.J. www.lightingandsoundamerica.com • December 2007 ARCHITECTURE ration to another will shrink from about four to two hours, and additional setups will be discovered. Indeed, the nature of the design is conducive to the discovery process. The space and its components and systems, made functional through custom rigging and controls supplied and installed by JR Clancy, are faithful to the tools and culture of theatre crafts and theatre technology. The result is what FDA project manager Robert Campbell terms “a break the proscenium,” sophisticated kit of parts” says Joshua Dachs. “The that nevertheless remains question was not whether it an environment familiar to was possible, but whether, any stagehand. “From a for this project, it would be stage-rigging point of possible to achieve it in a view,” he says, “the hard- Three-plus space of just under 800 ware is standard theatrical theatres in one seats on the piece of land equipment. When you want Sidney Harman Hall may that they had for a price to fly the truss, you use a have 775 seats, but there that they could afford.” system of chain motors. The theatre’s lobby. was no stinting on Clearly the answer was Pieces were constructed acoustics, design, or yes. There are three basic similar to stage scenery, (Jack) Diamond and Gary equipment; it is outfitted configurations: with lightweight materials McCluskie, and project like a major performing arts Proscenium, thrust, and and a minimum of connec- architect Jennifer Mallard. center. Outside, the build- end-stage. A 625-seat tions. With few exceptions, Fisher Dachs Associates, ing’s three-story glass “music ensemble” setup the rigging is from the grid New York, headed by curtain wall and bay can be achieved by putting over the stage, and is Joshua Dachs, was theatre window/balcony, projecting the front seating wagons accessible to the crew. consultant. Acoustical and 8’ over the sidewalk below into storage and setting a Acoustic panels can be audio system design was (an almost unheard-of vari- freestanding bandshell in flipped by just one person. provided by the Chicago- ance in D.C. was granted front of the proscenium— You aren’t tied down with based Talaske Group Inc., for this), have transformed allowing the room to be large, cumbersome pieces headed by Rick Talaske. the streetscape. Inside, the used for concerts without that you can’t get out the CarrAmerica Urban theatre features double- disturbing the stage set. door. The sophistication is Development was the walled concrete construc- (The wagons move on an in the planning and design, project developer and Clark tion, adjustable acoustic Aeris air-caster system.) not the technology.” All the Construction was general panels, and a wood-lined The room can also be same, there will be a learning contractor. JM Zell Partners, space with movable cleared out for an arena curve. “This building is so Ltd. served as project components that can be configuration. Team mem- incredibly integrated, it manager, coordinating the rearranged into multiple bers anticipate that, as could take a full year before design work and business configurations, with each directors and stage crew they know all its capabili- transaction, and represent- changeover taking a matter get to know the new space ties,” says Campbell. ing both the Shakespeare of hours. and its theatrical building “There may be configu- Theatre Company and BAC “Sooner or later, some blocks, the time needed to rations that won’t be during construction. director is going to want to change from one configu- arrived at for 10 years,” December 2007 • Lighting&Sound America says Dachs. “Time will tell. variety of positions and It’s a tool that can accom- locations to make the modate a wide range of proscenium opening larger approaches that directors or smaller. It can also move and set designers will bring the panels upstage to to bear. Michael Kahn’s downstage, or gather them direction was to create a together and raise them up ‘muscular space for robust out of view. If desired, the plays of epic scope.’” proscenium, and the mech- “The real challenge of anism that moves it, can doing theatres like this is to both be dismantled and make each configuration removed. The custom look purpose-built,” says mechanism, which also Campbell. “Jack Diamond controls the house curtain, and Josh Dachs collaborated was engineered and to create a certain sense of installed by JR Clancy and formality in each of the con- Tomcat USA and is the key figurations and a specific component of the trans- character, even without a lot formable theatre. JR of scenery—something that Clancy’s project manager takes us back to the days was Robert Degenkolb. of Shakespeare and the The first four rows of Globe Theatre, where the seats are wagons that can space supported the text be moved around to the and the spoken word.” sides for the thrust config- “The company is known uration, rotated upstage for for very beautiful and rela- an arena configuration, or tively elaborate produc- lowered into the floor via a tions,” adds Dachs. “If you custom Gala Spiralift for strip everything out and the end-stage setup. They choose not to have can also be removed and A view of the theatre’s glass-covered facade. Campbell: “You aren’t tied down with large, cumbersome pieces that you can’t get out the door. The sophistication is in the planning and design, not the technology.” scenery, the room is still stored to extend the down- lifts; the system comes sound reflector in the ceiling very beautiful. It has reso- stage area. There is no with a portable touch via two high-capacity nance. The timber columns orchestra pit, due to lack of screen, allowing the oper- winch hoists. It also has evoke timber columns at access; the lift is raised to ator to move through the the potential to tie into the Globe—not a literal extend the stage into the space while making adjust- future show control and recreation, but some mem- audience area by about ments. The client requested chain hoist systems.” ory of the wooden ‘O’ that 10'. A Niscon, Inc. Raynok the Niscon product The rigging system Shakespeare describes.” control system, using because of its capacity for consists of 50 double-pur- The proscenium arch Niscon proprietary software future add-ons, according chase counterweight sets. does literally break; it is in a Windows PC platform, to Mike Murphy, executive The extensive trap system formed by a series of panels activates the proscenium VP of JR Clancy: “It con- is made up of 36 individual flown by a motorized and all motorized axes, trols what is on the gantry, chambers, each covering a gantry truss that spans the including the Stagemaker it controls the lift and the 7' by 4' area of the stage width of the stage.

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