Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 2012 - 39

merit awards
The vernacular of the architecture is urban modern with
functional elements superimposed on the historic elements of
the building. Floors are refinished concrete with exposed shear
walls and steel trussing to show the bones of the space, providing that raw energy that the dance company also brings to the
community. Salvaged wood has been repurposed into a conference table and finishing details throughout the building, bringing a warmth to its industrial heritage.
Another Merit Award recipient theatre is nestled in a dramatic ravine overlooking Santa Barbara, California. This 1935
Works Progress Administration (WPA) project is known as the
Santa Barbara Bowl. The 4,500-seat outdoor venue is part
of an extensive master plan renovation preserving the rustic
and historic nature of the site. The master plan has served as
the road map for all subsequent maintenance and operational
progress to date and has been key to the fund-raising efforts.
Since 1998, five of the phases of work have been completed,
including the new Stage Pavilion. Making these improvements
has opened up the historic theatre for modern touring shows
to perform there.
The Stage Pavilion project was led by Handel Architects
and executive architect DesignARC. Other contributors include
Auerbach Pollock Friedlander, theatre consultants, Jaffe Holden, acoustical consultants, Van Atta Associates, landscape architect, and Howard and Van Sande Structural Consultants, Inc.
The team was careful to keep within the language of the
site by providing elemental building forms reminiscent of the
1930s park structures. The proscenium is composed of three
parts: two large cut-stone piers which bracket the sixty-foot
proscenium opening; a sloped angular roof structure of steel
trusses, wood decking, and a copper roof; and a gridded stucco shell with steel-clad barn doors opening on either side.
New production technology was included to improve
operations for touring shows, including a new dock-height
loading platform so touring rigs can easily unload at upstage
center for a fast turnaround. Multiple company switches provide technical power for touring audio, rigging, and dimming
systems. At the grid is a dense eight-foot-square rigging grid
for spot flying, which will accommodate most needs up to
4000-pound point loads.
Adjacent to the Stage Pavilion is the McCaw Pavilion
mimicking the architectural detail of the Stage Pavilion but
providing spectacular views from the hillside. The stone retaining walls and arches house new concessions and restrooms on the plaza level and a night club and reception area
on the second floor.
The final Merit Award recipient in the 2012 USITT Architecture Awards is the David L. Kurtz Center for the Performing
Arts at William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia, Pennsyl-

spring

vania. Designed by Voith & Mactavish Architects LLP, with Robert Davis Inc., theatre consultant, and Marshall-KMK Acoustics,
acoustical consultant, the Kurtz Center provides a 650-seat
performance space, a band room for eighty-five students, and
a 120-person choir room. These spaces are supported by a
compliment of backstage shops, classrooms, faculty offices, a
library, and storage for costumes and scenery.
Flexibility and multiplicity of use were the driving factors
in the creative solutions employed in this design. Student education drove the main theatre design, the Earl and Pam Ball
Theatre. The seating is laid out so that no seat is further than
fifty-five feet from the stage, helping promote an intimate actor/
audience relationship. When there are smaller audiences anticipated for acoustic music and interactive theatre, the visually
separated balconies are not used. Raising the pit lift to the stage
level gives the theatre a modest thrust stage. Since teaching
is paramount, as well as safety, three wide catwalks allow for
hanging and focusing of lighting fixtures, and the control room
is fully ADA accessible.
Since this facility is positioned directly adjacent to the
signature main building of the school, the exterior had to be
both exciting and supportive of the iconic image of campus. A
two-storied columned front façcade with floor-to-ceiling glazing acts like a beacon at night, drawing patrons to its warm
interior. In the interior lobby, solid stone walls connect the
building through the glass to the main building.
The lighting system is state-of-the-art ETC lighting
with DMX over Ethernet and an ETC ION console, while
the sound system consists of new JBL PD Series speakers
and subwoofer and a digital audio distribution system controlled by a Yamaha M7 digital console. Acoustics are controlled with movable acoustic towers and a new orchestra
shell. Projection is provided by a Panasonic 10,000-ANSIlumen projector onto a twenty-four-foot wide Da-Lite motorized projection surface.
Images of the ten Merit Award winning projects are on the
following pages.
Raymond Kent, LEED AP, CTS, DMC-D, ECA, EAVA, is
managing principal of Sustainable Technologies Design
Group LLC, and an award-winning theatre consultant
and audiovisual systems designer with over twenty-five
years in the industry. He serves as co-chair of the Technical Advisory Committee for the Sustainable Technology Environments Program (STEP) Foundation and is
Vice-Commissioner for Special Projects for the USITT
Architecture Commission as well as TD&T's Associate
Editor for Architecture.

2012

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