Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 2021 - 54

The Arthur Laurents Theater at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center can seat up to 252 patrons for
dramatic theatre, dance, lectures, musical events and more. | Courtesy of Elkus Manfredi Architects.

with smoke and fire separation and fall
protection at orchestra pits. It is also necessary to protect technical personnel on
catwalks, rigging galleries, tension wire
grids, and gridirons. "
Scenery and costume shop areas need
to provide dust and toxic vapor control
as well. The New Brunswick project included a dust control system, as well as a
spray booth with external venting. There
is also special emphasis on the safety of
a theatre's rigging system. This includes
the rope operating lines, wire rope liftlines, blocks, counterweights, and related
devices within a theatre that enable a
stage crew to fly scenery, lighting, and
other production elements quickly.
Increased use of automation and improved wireless technology capability
will also help improve theatre safety in
new facilities that have significant technological infrastructure. As an example,
the Hale Centre Theatre, designed by
Tait Towers, includes an automated stage
with 11 lifts, a performer flying station,
cranes, and rigging systems that move
set elements on and off stage as directed
by a computer. The center lift can change
rotational axes, both counter-clockwise
and clockwise, independent of all other
lifts.
All of this equipment must be considered early in the design process to
ensure proper installation, power, and
space. " Planning for the routing of the

extensive power and control infrastructure early in the project is critical, " says
Goetze. " These pathways require a significant amount of space for horizontal and
vertical routing, and total distance from
devices to final termination points must
be limited to acceptable overall distances
in order to ensure proper functionality. "
Turning stages, flying performers and
complex sets add to audience satisfaction but may also endanger actors. One
of the most recent and best-known examples is the Broadway musical SpiderMan: Turn Off the Dark where a series of
injuries befell performers, including lead
actor Christopher Tierney who suffered
four broken ribs, a skull fracture, and broken bones as a result of a fall in 2010. His
replacement, Richard Kobak, sued for $6
million over a string of injuries, which he
attributed to errors in the programming
of the aerial rigging computer (New York
Post, 2012). " Performers are tasked with
executing extraordinary things onstage,
night after night, often amid such occupational hazards as theatrical smoke
and haze, raked stages, and loud noises-all while decked out in unwieldy costume pieces and towering wigs,'' Allison
Considine wrote in American Theatre
(2019). " New theatre rigging systems,
counterweight and motorized, are safer
than many of the systems used in older
theatres,'' Goetze says. " In addition,
low voltage LED lighting has allowed

54 | THEATRE DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY | WINTER 2021

illumination of technical support areas
without interfering with the audience experience, which creates a safer environment for performers and for technical
personnel. "
A number of significant improvements
have advanced theatre safety. For example, smoke and fire detection systems
have improved, allowing the use of detection devices that account for the special
effects that may be used in productions.
" Interior materials are improved in terms
of flame resistance and reduced toxicity which improves indoor air quality,''
Goetze adds. " Fire and smoke alarm
and detection systems provide greater
sensitivity and more effective response,
which improves the safety of patrons and
performers. "
Of course, the COVID-19 pandemic
has raised a new red flag for theatre safety. Many theatres have not reopened, and
how venues plan to keep actors and patrons safe is still being discussed, though
USITT has released several guidelines,
which are included in this issue. The few
theatres that have reopened have been
careful to meet or exceed guidelines
established by the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC).
What is clear is that people are not ready
to give up on theatre. " Why do we need live
theatre? " Joanne Greco Rochman wrote
in Connecticut's Republican-American
newspaper. " Because there's nothing else
like it in the world. This is where creativity
reigns, where all the arts come together. "

Stars of the Show

While the apartments are an important
piece to the project, the distinct stars of
the New Brunswick Performing Arts
Center are the theatres. The Elizabeth
Ross Johnson Theater is a 463-seat proscenium theatre designed to accommodate musical theatre, dance, opera, and
dramatic theatre. The Arthur Laurents
Theater can seat up to 252 patrons for
dramatic theatre, dance, lectures, and
community and musical events. The
vibes are quite different-one grandiose
and one intimate-but both are appealing
to audiences.
" We pretty much did what everybody
from the artistic side and theatre consultants recommended,'' Paladino says. " We
had some challenges, but in the end, we
constructed the theatres that everybody
wanted. "

Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 2021

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