THEATRE DESIGNER COLLABORATES WITH GEHRY TO MAKE HIS VISION FOR DISNEY HALL A REALITY

When Frank Gehry began to design the new home for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, one of the first firms he selected to be on his team was Theatre Projects Consultants (TPC) of South Norwalk, Connecticut and London, England. TPC bridged the gap between the mysteries of the stage and the realities of the construction industry in its design of the hall's elaborate flexible stage, lighting systems, backstage facilities, and seating.

The Walt Disney Concert Hall, which opens on October 23rd, is already world renowned for its exterior undulating, stainless steel curves and the unusually intimate interior of warm, wood paneling.

Drawing on its nearly 50 years of experience designing more than 600 theatres and halls throughout the world, TPC met the challenges accompanying the unique building design and the demands of its performances.

Collaborating with Frank Gehry, says Richard Pilbrow, TPC's chairman, meant making Gehry's vision work. "He was devoted to a central design concept for the auditorium, of a great wooden space, like the inside of a boat. No modern technology could show unless it absolutely had to. That's quite difficult to achieve, particularly in lighting."

In addition to the architect's wish that the lights be hidden and the acoustician's wish that no open holes be made in the ceiling, the lighting had to answer a variety of needs for the LA Philharmonic and other users of the hall. The majority of the lighting fixtures are hidden above the billowing wooden ceiling and fixed to a forest of lighting trees. They are very tightly focused through a series of glazed holes and lighting bridges. The lighting system can accommodate a full orchestra, small ensemble, and more elaborate stage events, for which special equipment can be added via structural support points and additional electrical circuits. To maintain an integral ceiling, those points are covered by nearly invisible plugs.

TPC's stage engineering team in London worked with the LA Philharmonic to design a customized variable performance platform. Thirteen computer-driven lift mechanisms can change from a flat floor to a variety of musical settings. A large lift at the back of the platform can support seating for a choir or audience. The control system for these lifts utilizes wireless technology and can be programmed and run by a single operator working at the platform level.

TPC consulted with musicians of the LA Philharmonic, making sure the dressing and rehearsal rooms were to their liking, and planning the backstage instrument storage areas, which have to accommodate everything from timpani to grand pianos. Pilbrow and his team spent a day at a Philharmonic rehearsal, measuring the space around each musician, to see just what they needed for the new stage. TPC also used 3-D computer modeling to check audience sightlines throughout all phases of building design and construction. These 3-D studies are used on the Walt Disney Concert Hall web site for marketing and ticket sales.

The collaboration started when Pilbrow was approached in 1989 to come to L.A. to work with Gehry and acousticians Minoru Nagata and Yasuhisa Toyota, on the initial design for the hall. Since then, the team collaborated on the recently opened Fisher Center at Bard College in New York and are beginning work on a new arts center for the University of Connecticut in Storrs.

Theatre Projects Trust along with Entertainment Technology Press, are producing a book: WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL - THE BACKSTAGE STORY, due to be published in November. The book will tell the behind-the-scenes story of the 16-year history of the design and technology of the building.

The following TPC staff had major responsibilities on the WDCH project: Richard Pilbrow, Principal-in-Charge; Jerry Godden, Project Manager; George Ellerington, Stage Engineering; Mark Stroomer, Seating and Sightlines, and David H. Rosenburg, Stage Lighting.