Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 1979 - 16

Closed Pits-Open Pits
One might say that opera pits should fall into only two categories--<>pen, and almost closed. In open pits most of the musicians sit with no occlusion, no overhang above their heads.
The open-pit design approach provides the most impact for pit
orchestra sound in the audience areas, and it is relatively easy
for the conductor and his musicians to achieve proper sectional balance, ensemble, and pit versus stage loudness balance.
In closed (or almost closed) pits the impact of the orchestral sound as heard in the audience areas is reduced. Closed
pit design, therefore, is more appropriate for rather small auditoriums, performances using partially trained or inadequate
voices onstage, or performances where balance in favor of the
singers is desired at all times.
The pit in Wagner's Festspielhaus in Bayreuth (Figure 14)
is of the closed category. That facility is used only for operas
composed by Wagner, and it is, by North American standards,
tiny. With contemporary seat spacing the auditorium would
probably hold about 600 to 800 seats. Sarah Caldwell has
used a closed pit in the Boston University Theatre (Figure 15);
and the Hartt Conservatory Hall in Hartford, Connecticut incorporates a closed pit.
Figures 16 and 17 depict closed or almost-closed design
variants that might be considered by auditorium designers,
and the reader can visualize how these approaches would be
modified to work with the double-lift pit design this author advocates for most multi-use civic and campus auditoriums. Ob-

Figure 9
Sections of Orchestra Pits Increasing in Size
and Usefulness as Overhang Area Is Increased

viously, there are far more design variations to be considered
than have been illustrated here.

Non-Traditional Positioning
The classical position for the pit orchestra is between the
audience area and the stagehouse. The entire orchestral
sound could be on tape, however, or the orchestra could be in
a room several blocks from the theatre, and dual-direction
electronic and video links employed. Sarah Caldwell has used
this latter technique in a very small theatre.
Other positions are at one or both sides of the forestage as
for a recent production of Man of La Mancha, beneath the
stage, upstage of the sets, or off to one side of the settings but
in the stagehouse. Sarah Caldwell has used the upstage position with some electronic and video links (Figure 18). Musical
comedy often incorporates the orchestra into the settings onstage, or tucks the orchestra completely under the forestage,
reinforcing it electronically. Opera, ballet, and musical comedy will be using non-traditional placement of their accompanying orchestras more frequently in the years ahead. But
the full implications of such placement must be understood in

Figure 10
Movable Reflectors/Absorbers to Surround
Pit Orchestras of Varying Size--Plans

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110 Musicians

USITT /Fall, 1979

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