{"data":[{"id":"228","date_start":"August 22, 2011","title":"Theatre Projects designs first all-LED performance space","photo":"\/files\/news_items\/whitney_thumb.jpg","body":"

The Whitney Museum of American Art has given the approval for Theatre Projects to design an all-LED lighting system for a new 2,300 square foot performance space. The performance space is part of the Whitney Museum's future home in New York City's Meatpacking District being designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop with executive architect Cooper Robertson & Partners. <\/p>\r\n\r\n

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Image courtesy Renzo Piano Building Workshop in collaboration with Cooper, Robertson & Partners<\/i>\r\n\r\n<\/p>

Senior consultant Steven Rust<\/a>, our lighting system designer for the Whitney says, \"We had an opportunity to take advantage of the leaps in technology in LED theatrical lighting. We compared the cost of standard stage lighting distribution to an all-LED based system. The LED system requires one quarter the number of hard-wired circuits due to their lower power consumption and on-board dimming. This reduction in circuits and the associated installation cost, is what tipped the scale in favor of LEDs and offset the higher cost of the LED fixtures.\"<\/p>

The Whitney Museum was excited about the LED system based on the cost savings, but they wanted to see the LED fixtures first hand. So, we arranged for the New York office of Barbizon Lighting to demonstrate the latest LED fixtures from major manufacturers. The owner was able to see a variety of current LED options to get a feel for the state of the industry and to compare LED units to conventional stage lights. One of the main concerns for the Whitney is fan noise, so the demonstration included a number of fan-free and other very quiet fixtures (a trend that we applaud).<\/p>

We're happy to provide a system design which will reduce power consumption as well as the costs of installation and operation. We expect the pace and improvements in LED lighting to continue. Given that the stage lighting fixtures for the Whitney Museum won't be purchased for another two or three years, we look forward to the options and discoveries to come. <\/p>

We extend our thanks to the people at Barbizon - John Gebbie, Brian Dunn, and Damon Krometis - for their efforts in assembling the demonstration, and to all of the manufacturers for their participation.<\/p>

For more on the future home of the Whitney: http:\/\/whitney.org\/About\/NewBuilding?query=Future<\/a><\/p>","desc":"The Whitney Museum of American Art has given the approval for Theatre Projects to design an all-LED lighting system for a new 2,300 square foot performance space. The performance ..."},{"id":"230","date_start":"August 19, 2011","title":"Dr. Phillips Center - Watch a flythrough of the new center","photo":"\/files\/news_items\/drphillips_thumb.jpg","body":"

Adobe Flash Player is required to view this content.<\/div>","desc":"Adobe Flash Player is required to view this content ..."},{"id":"227","date_start":"June 30, 2011","title":"Designs unveiled for the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center","photo":"\/files\/news_items\/snfcc_unveiling_thumb.jpg","body":"

The designs for the new Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center<\/a> (SNFCC) in Athens, Greece were unveiled Wednesday, July 29. The $803 million SNFCC designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop is scheduled to open in 2015 and includes a 1,400-seat opera house for the Greek National Opera, the 42-acre Stavros Niarchos Park, and the headquarters for the National Library of Greece. <\/p>\r\n\r\n

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We're working with Renzo Piano on the design of the opera house. This new home for the Greek National Opera will both embrace the historic importance of European opera houses and look to the future of the art form becoming an exciting venue for traditional and experimental forms of opera and dance performance.<\/p>

To see the designs and the video from the unveiling presentation, visit the center's website: http:\/\/www.snf.org\/snfcc\/snfMain_en.html<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

\"\"<\/p>","desc":"The designs for the new Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) in Athens, Greece were unveiled Wednesday, July 29. The $803 million SNFCC designed by Renzo Piano ..."},{"id":"226","date_start":"June 16, 2011","title":"Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts groundbreaking celebration","photo":"\/files\/news_items\/drphillips_thumb.jpg","body":"

The Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts<\/a> in Orlando is celebrating its groundbreaking June 23, 2011.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Theatre Projects has been involved with the planning of the performing arts center since the late 1980s and is excited to join the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts Board of Directors, the City of Orlando, and Orange County in the festivities.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

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This new arts center, being built in two phases, will feature a 2,700-seat Broadway theatre, 1,700-seat multiform theatre, and a 300-seat community theatre as well as education spaces and a public plaza capable of holding up to 3,000 people for outdoor performances.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

The groundbreaking will take place Thursday, June 23 from 5:30 - 7:15 pm at the future front door of the Dr. Phillips Center (Magnolia Avenue, between Anderson Street & South Street) in downtown Orlando. Two community open houses will be held Friday, June 24 from 11 am - 2 pm and Saturday, June 25 from 12 pm to 4 pm at the same location as the groundbreaking. Attendees can view the latest models, renderings, and videos, as well as enjoy refreshments and live performances from local artists.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

For more on the Dr. Phillips Center and the groundbreaking events, visit http:\/\/www.drphillipscenter.org<\/a>.<\/p>","desc":"The Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando is celebrating its groundbreaking June 23, 2011.\r\n\r\nTheatre Projects has been involved with the planning of the ..."},{"id":"223","date_start":"May 10, 2011","title":"A world first at Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay","photo":"\/files\/news_items\/esplanade_thumb.jpg","body":"

The performing arts are always looking for new and innovative ways to engage audiences. This week saw the premiere of Sir Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic - A Musical Journey in 3D<\/i>, a concert filmed in high-definition 3D and screened at cinemas around the world. The venue for this groundbreaking performance? None other than the spectacular 1,600-seat concert hall at Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay in Singapore, designed by Theatre Projects.<\/p>

With superb adjustable acoustics, the concert hall was the perfect setting for the Berlin Philharmonic's performance of Mahler's First Symphony and Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle.<\/p>\"\"


During the concert, the cinema production combines shots of Singapore, the Esplanade's concert hall, and close-ups of Rattle and the orchestra, giving cinemagoers the impression that they're sitting right among the orchestra and a part of the action. <\/p>

Stanley Dodds, a violinist with the orchestra, comments: \"Nothing of its kind has ever been done before. It gives the feeling of being in an orchestra. When you see the winding tubes of a horn, or a very nice old Italian violin in 3D, you feel you could touch it. You can observe the concentration and intensity of the musicians' facial expressions and body language.\" The film's director, Michael Beyer, adds \"The change between the two settings 'orchestra' and 'Singapore' reacts to the tunes, the tempi and the dance impulses of Rachmaninov's score. Chinatown, breathtaking Western architecture and the Hindu temple in 3D together with all aspects of life, work, leisure and spirituality make the spectator believe that he is not only an observer, but in the middle of music and life.\" <\/p>

The 3D concert production is a cinema first, and is being screened in cinemas around the UK between 9 and 17 May 2011. It is hoped the production will replicate the success of other performing arts cinematic screenings around the world, including productions at London's Royal Opera House, and the Metropolitan Opera in New York. <\/p>

To see the offical trailer for Sir Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic - A Musical Journey in 3D<\/i>, click here<\/a>. <\/p>","desc":"The performing arts are always looking for new and innovative ways to engage audiences. This week saw the premiere of Sir Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic - A Musical ..."},{"id":"222","date_start":"April 15, 2011","title":"Creating a world class cultural district for West Kowloon","photo":"\/files\/news_items\/wkcd_thumb.jpg","body":"

We're currently working with award-winning architects Foster + Partners<\/a> and the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority<\/a> (WKCDA) to develop the masterplan for the prestigious West Kowloon Cultural District<\/a> (WKCD) project in Hong Kong. The Foster + Partners team was selected for the design of the 40-hectare masterplan project after an extensive two-year competition process and public consultation exercise. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\"\"Aerial view of the West Kowloon Cultural District, \u00c2\u00a9 Foster + Partners<\/i>\r\n\r\n


The City Park<\/i> scheme includes seventeen new cultural venues in a relaxing environment of public and open spaces. It was praised by the Board of WKCD for its balanced mix of land uses integrating arts and cultural facilities with other uses which improves visitor experience and enhances vibrancy in WKCD. Theatre Projects are working closely with the design team to develop the performing arts elements of the scheme so that it can deliver the brief and serve the local community according to WKCDA's wishes.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Mark Stroomer<\/a> is leading the Theatre Projects team and is excited to be contributing to the scheme. \"We've worked with Foster + Partners on several high profile projects, such as The Sage Gateshead and the Winspear Opera House in Dallas, but West Kowloon Cultural District is a project like no other. Here, we have the opportunity to work together to contribute something really special to Hong Kong's cultural scene. With facilities ranging from a 15,000-seat performance venue for large-scale concerts and events to intimate experimental theatres and recital halls, and 30,000 square metres of arts education facilities, City Park<\/i> will transform the waterfront into a vibrant arts district and positively impact on the local, regional, and international arts scene.\"<\/p>\r\n\r\n\"\"Renderings of the West Kowloon Cultural District, \u00c2\u00a9 Foster + Partners<\/i>


While much emphasis will be placed on the individual constituent parts of WKCD, our role is to focus on the bigger picture to ensure that the cultural district is a success. We're advising the client on the development of the arts district and working to ensure that it complies with the seven planning design principles - creativity, accessibility, connectivity, integration, vibrancy, uniqueness, and sustainability.<\/p>

 <\/p>","desc":"We're currently working with award-winning architects Foster + Partners and the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA) to develop the masterplan for the prestigious West ..."},{"id":"219","date_start":"March 21, 2011","title":"A new performing arts center opens at James Madison University","photo":"\/files\/news_items\/jmu-opening_thumb.jpg","body":"

The Forbes Center for the Performing Arts at James Madison University<\/a> combines five distinct performance spaces under one roof to accommodate both the University's School of Music and School of Theatre and Dance. Theatre Projects collaborated with Hanbury Evans Wright Vlattas + Company<\/a> and Performance Architecture<\/a> on the design of this 183,000 square foot, multi-level building. The center houses both the Dorothy Thomasson Etes Center for Theatre and Dance and the Shirley Hanson Roberts Center for Music Performance.<\/p>

\"\"Concert Hall, Shirley Hanson Roberts Center for Music Performance<\/i><\/p><\/i>

The Dorothy Thomasson Estes Center for Theatre and Dance<\/b>
The Dorothy Thomasson Estes Center for Theatre and Dance, designed by Hanbury Evans and Theatre Projects, features a 450-seat proscenium theatre, a 200-seat dance theatre, and a 150-seat studio theatre. <\/p>

To give students the flexibility to mount a wide array of productions, Theatre Projects designed a flexible proscenium theatre with a modified thrust stage, which allows productions to extend into the seating area. Since the stage can include the area in front of the proscenium, Theatre Projects needed to develop creative solutions to accommodate lighting and scenery positions over the stage apron while at the same time creating a way for students to get to the top safely, always a priority in university design. <\/p>

\"\"Mainstage Theatre, Dorothy Thomasson Estes Center for Theatre and Dance<\/i><\/p><\/i>

The solution was to use a tension-wire grid with a radius-edge downstage and a saw-tooth edge upstage. The radius allows the tension grid to follow the theatrical lighting catwalk to prevent dangerous gaps in the walking surface. The upstage edge has a saw-tooth design to address the users' request to be able to fly a chandelier (for example) out and hang lighting in the gap between the proscenium wall, and the tension grid's edge. This gap was filled with two motorized linesets that allow for the quick hanging and rigging of theatrical electric battens. This created both a safe walkway to allow access to the lights and rigging as well as a way to accommodate special, technical requests. \"The theatre department wanted to be able to rig spotline loads over the apron,\" said David H. Rosenburg, project director for Theatre Projects. \"It was a huge challenge to create something so unique, but we used the saw-tooth edge to make it work.\"<\/p>

The studio theatre is an extremely flexible space that can be configured in proscenium, end stage, thrust, arena, and flat floor arrangements. <\/p>

\"\"Studio Theatre, Dorothy Thomasson Estes Center for Theatre and Dance<\/i><\/p><\/i>

The dance theatre easily transforms from rehearsal studio to performance space in about a half hour by deploying motorized telescopic seating units.<\/p>

\"\"Earlynn J. Miller Dance Theatre, Dorothy Thomasson Estes Center for Theatre and Dance<\/i><\/p><\/i>

The Shirley Hanson Roberts Center for Music Performance<\/b>
The Shirley Hanson Roberts Center for Music Performance features a 600-seat concert hall and a 200-seat recital hall. The concert hall side of the center offered challenges of its own. The concert hall, designed by Theater Projects and Performance Architecture in partnership with Hanbury Evans, required acoustic and staging flexibility to accommodate music ranging from large orchestras to smaller folk or pop concerts. Adjustable acoustic fabric panels were strategically placed overhead, out of audience sight lines and a piano lift was situated downstage to allow musicians to be below the stage for more informal concerts. <\/p>

\"\"Recital Hall, Shirley Hanson Roberts Center for Music Performance<\/i><\/p><\/i>

While the Forbes Center boasts two distinct centers - one for music and one for theatre and dance, a shared lobby connects and complements the center. Office, studio, support and rehearsal spaces round out the arts center.<\/p>

The center opened for classes this past September and the staff and students have already begun explore the vast possibilities of the performance spaces. \"The paint was barely dry before the students were mounting their first performance,\" said Rosenburg. \"It was an ambitious production of Mary Zimmerman's Metamorphosis, in which they made good use of all the high-tech features. It was a huge success, for the students and the theatre.\"<\/p>\r\n

Photos: Robert Benson Photography<\/p>","desc":"The Forbes Center for the Performing Arts at James Madison University combines five distinct performance spaces under one roof to accommodate both the University's School of Music ..."},{"id":"218","date_start":"March 11, 2011","title":"Wyly Theatre wins AIA Honor Award for Architecture","photo":"\/files\/news_items\/wyly-aia_thumb.jpg","body":"

The Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre<\/a> at the AT&T Performing Arts Center has received an AIA Honor Award for Architecture<\/a>.
<\/p>

Theatre Projects collaborated with REX\/OMA, Joshua Prince-Ramus (partner in charge) and Rem Koolhaas on the design and planning of this ingenious building for the Dallas Theater Center. <\/p>

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The building's dramatic design organizes 75,000 square feet of performance and support spaces in a stacked, vertical array, and gives the public uninterrupted views of the theatre (stage, backstage areas, and auditorium) through expansive glass walls on three sides of the theatre. In the upper floors of the building, unexpected interior and exterior views give the individual spaces a feeling of openness. Theatre Projects worked closely with REX\/OMA to fit all of the performance and support spaces into the vertical scheme while ensuring their arrangement would support the functional demands of the resident Dallas Theatre Center. <\/p>

Benton Delinger, project manager and principal in charge for Theatre Projects, said, \"The Wyly offers the Dallas Theatre Center a platform for creating the kinds of theatre that have yet to be imagined. The artistic opportunities are endless.\"<\/p>

\"\"<\/p>

When the Dallas Theater Center came to Theatre Projects, they were looking for staging flexibility and performance intimacy in their new facility. In response, we designed a versatile 575-seat multiform theatre that can easily transform from proscenium to thrust to flat floor. A hoist system lifts the theatre's balconies and proscenium out of the way and hides them in storage areas above. An advanced rotating lift system allows easy reconfiguration of the audience and stage, plus quick storage for seats and platforms. The room can transform into an empty room surrounded by glass walls that has quickly become known as the best party place in Dallas. <\/p>

\"\"<\/p>\r\n
Photo rights\r\n
1. Iwan Baan\r\n
2. Iwan Baan\r\n
3. Alex Eshelbrenner

 <\/p>","desc":"The Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre at the AT&T Performing Arts Center has received an AIA Honor Award for Architecture.Theatre Projects collaborated with REX\/OMA, Joshua Prince- ..."},{"id":"217","date_start":"February 16, 2011","title":"Meet the New World Center","photo":"\/files\/news_items\/meet-newworldcenter_thumb.jpg","body":"\"\"\r\n\r\n

As one of the most advanced learning centers for music in the world, the New World Center<\/a> in Miami Beach pushes the boundaries of teaching, learning, and performing. Theatre Projects collaborated with Gehry Partners<\/a> and Nagata Acoustics<\/a> to design and plan this exciting interactive campus for the New World Symphony, one of America's leading and most innovative music academies.\r\n\r\n<\/p>

The campus design creates endless opportunities for learning and performing. Combining highly flexible spaces with forward-looking technology, the performance and rehearsal spaces transform instantly into broadcast studios for recording and long-distance learning. With Internet2 connectivity, advanced audio systems, and video projection integrated throughout the facility, performers and teachers can interact with far-flung audiences or students in real time.\r\n\r\n<\/p>

The heart of this learning center is the intimate concert hall. In 2002 when we began helping the New World Symphony imagine their new campus, the concept was a technology-supported rehearsal space where the symphony could train with conductors and musicians physically scattered around the world. Fast forward to 2011, and we've helped develop that original vision into a ground-breaking, 756-seat interactive concert hall that gives the symphony and its audience room to redefine how they experience music and music performance. \r\n<\/p>\r\n

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Multiple performance configurations<\/span><\/b>\r\n
Taking a cue from our orchestra platform design at the Walt Disney Concert Hall<\/a> (another collaboration with Gehry Partners and Nagata Acoustics), we designed a 10-lift system for the New World Center that transforms the room into 14 different performance configurations. The lower bank of audience seating even retracts to make a flat floor space for alternative performances and events. Watch the video to see this versatile space in action<\/a>.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

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Integrated performance lighting<\/span><\/b>\r\n
We carefully integrated a complex, high-performance lighting system into the architecture of the room and the infrastructure of the building, allowing enormous flexibility without compromising aesthetics. With a wide range of adaptable presets, the latest in LED technology, and ultra-quiet moving lights, the performance lighting changes easily from symphony to theatre to rehearsal to interactive broadcast performance!\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n

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Transparent planning<\/span><\/b>\r\n
New World Symphony asked us to help them create a new model of transparent music education - where the public can experience the rehearsal process without disrupting the flow of learning. Glass walls expose rehearsal rooms to public areas, allowing the public to watch musicians at work while giving the musicians the acoustic separation they need for rehearsal. When musicians want even more separation, they can pull shades for privacy. Through a careful design process, we helped create a building that publicly celebrates performance and education balanced with adjustable privacy for sensitive learning moments. \r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n

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Interactive, immersive environment<\/span><\/b>\r\n
Working with the design team, we created a first-of-its-kind immersive concert hall. With no seat further than 43 feet from the performance platform, nearly 360-degree video projection, and acoustics that support music ranging from Bach to pop, audience members are wrapped by sound and visuals. But it's not just paying audience members who get this complete surround experience—the projection continues outside onto the wall of the building where concerts are broadcast live for the public to enjoy from the park.\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n

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Read what the critics think<\/span><\/b>\r\n<\/p>

New York Times, Gehry Design Plays Fanfare for the Common Man<\/i> by Nicolai Ouroussoff\r\n<\/a>
\"Enclosed inside a simple stucco box, its raucous interior forms — a pileup of rehearsal studios joined to a 756-seat hall — are part of an effort to break down the emotional distance between performers and the public, and in doing so to pump new life into an art form that is often perceived as stuffy and old-fashioned.\" Read more<\/a>.\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/p>

New York Times, Airy Home for Music and Its Fans,<\/i> by Anthony Tommasini\r\n<\/a>
\"The centerpiece is the concert hall, which has 756 seats bunched in groups around the tall, airy auditorium. The steeply raked rows bring every audience member close to the musicians onstage.\" Read more<\/a>.\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/p>

Washington Post Architecture review: Miami's new concert hall, designed by Frank Gehry<\/i> by Philip Kennicott\r\n<\/a>
\"Gehry's concert hall for the New World Symphony . . . is the first American concert space built from the ground up to include sophisticated video, theatrical-style lighting and flexible stage space that can accommodate not just an orchestra, but soloists and chamber groups . . . the centerpiece of the campus is Gehry's $160 million concert space, and it works brilliantly . . . for the first time, that technology does not feel like an invasion into the 19th-century concert space, but an essential element of a newly emerging entertainment form . . . The fourth wall, whatever remained of that supposedly off-putting imaginary barrier between audience and spectacle, is now entirely shattered.\" Read more<\/a>.\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/p>

Miami Herald, Orchestra resplendent in its new New World Symphony's futuristic home<\/i> by David Fleshler<\/a>\r\n
\"The visual experience of the performance was different from that to which most classical audiences may be accustomed. The hall is distinctly vertical, with the audience placed not only in front but all around the orchestra. And with the use of risers to give the orchestra itself five levels of seating, it was possible to see the faces of the bassoon players, second violinists and many more musicians, making the ensemble seem less remote from the audience than in traditional concert halls.\" Read more<\/a>.\r\n\r\n<\/p>

Miami Herald, Concert Hall for the people: New World Center debuts<\/i> by Andres Viglucci<\/a>\r\n
\"The concert hall, equipped with a sophisticated control room, can broadcast or record performances live in HD. The auditorium can also morph from symphony hall to nightclub, and will host a series of late-night events, dubbed Pulse, that blend classical instrumentalists and D.J.\/classical composer Mason Bates.\r\n<\/p>

\"'A building that's the future of music,' NWS president Howard Herring called it.\" Read more<\/a>.\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n

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Performance lighting technical details<\/span><\/b>\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Concert hall<\/u>\r\n<\/p>Control\r\n