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Eccles Theater in Salt Lake City is designed to attract touring Broadway production upon opening in 2016. (Rendering by Pelli Clarke Pelli)
In assessing performing arts center projects that are currently in development, under construction or in the process of renovation, there is one glaring similarity—many of these new venues are attached to a college or university.
One example is Western Illinois University’s Performing Arts Center in Macomb, which went out to bid for a contractor at press time.
“We were slated to get a building like this back in 1974, and it fell through,” said Ted Renner, the school’s deputy director of facilities management. “We’ve been trying to get this project off the ground ever since.”
Whether it’s due to the now flourishing economic conditions, an influx of money from tuition hikes or increased interest in the arts, these venues have become a more prevalent aspect of colleges and universities.
For Western Illinois University, the new facility means additional program accreditation for students and not having to schedule student and touring acts around school basketball games at Western Hall, which doubled as a performance space.
More Integration
Whether the facility is part of a school or a stand-alone building, these venues are being designed to encourage more integration between different facets of the arts.
“There is the opportunity of cross pollination of different disciplines, since many of the arts are now overlapping,” said Bill Murray, principal of Pfeiffer Partners Architects, which has offices in both Los Angeles and New York City. “For example, dancers may be working in tandem with musicians or theater students, so we’re creating spaces where artists can work together.”
Also, with the evolution of experimental art, which incorporates visual mediums, dance and music, there is an increased focus on audio/visual projection technologies.
Another aspect of integration is the incorporation of updated internet technology. With many artists producing and releasing custom content on YouTube, live streaming capabilities have become a more common component of today’s performing arts centers.
“This includes integrating the necessary technology to stream performances live in real time,” Murray said.
One of Pfieffer Partners’ projects, the Musco Center for the Arts at Chapman University in Orange, Calif., has incorporated streaming technology that enables artists in various locations to perform simultaneously without the latency issues of older technology.
These venues also are being designed to accommodate and combine a wider variety of teaching capabilities.
One example is Canada’s Conservatory & Bella Concert Hall at Mount Royal University in Calgary, which includes an 800-seat concert hall and early childhood education wing adjacent to its Continuing Center of Learning.
“This merges the arts, childhood education and CCL programs,” Murray said. “As a result, the early childhood education component has an arts perspective and supports community involvement.”
Because the influx of social media also has played a big part in changing the interaction between performers and the audience, every space in a performing arts center has become integral to the design.
“Venue directors and managers want to be able to use all of the facilities’ spaces, whether for performances and donor dinners on stage or concerts on the loading dock,” said Millie Dixon, principal at Theatre Projects Consultants.
Flexible Space
Consequently, designers are creating spaces with enough flexibility to be used in more than one capacity.
To accomplish this, today’s performing arts center design is more about infrastructure, such as creating wider doorways and convenient circulation paths or floor surfaces that are both adaptable and durable.
Financial resources have dictated that a majority of today’s performing arts center spaces are adaptable to different performance types.
“The industry is changing, so venues are built to accommodate different types of events,” Dixon said.
Money also is being allocated differently for these projects. In the past, the back of house areas didn’t get much attention in terms of space or design.
In today’s performing arts centers, this is no longer the case.
“Now these spaces are becoming more significant because people are realizing it’s important to make employees and artists happy,” Dixon said.
This has resulted in moving dressing rooms out from under dark stages and including windows to let light in.
Increased participation also is driving performing arts center designs, with more cities seeking community spaces for gatherings other than shows and events. This has led to more public spaces that can be segregated from main performance areas.
“These designs can accommodate dance, arts and crafts or exercise classes, for example,” Dixon said. “It’s more about drawing people in and providing community space, because people’s needs and how they spend their free time is changing.”
Bringing the Outside In
In the past, college and university performance spaces were buried within buildings and not accessible to the public. The majority of new venues have become campus centerpieces positioned on prime sites with sought-after views.
The Music and Communication Building at Northwestern University is one example. The facility will be located on Lake Michigan with views of the water and Chicago skyline.
“This new venue will include three performance spaces for school and outside events,” said Todd Hensley, partner at Schuler Shook, the Chicago-based theater planner overseeing the project. “This building is emblematic of today’s PAC designs, which are celebrating the surroundings rather than turning within the facility.”
Part of this movement includes the introduction of more glass and windows to bring in daylight and scenic views.
In addition to serving as multiuse spaces, new PACs have become part of the community in a different way than in the past.
Interviewed for this story: Millie Dixon, (203) 299-0830, x228; Bill Murray, (213) 624-2775; Todd Hensley, (312) 944- 8230; Ted Renner, (309) 298-1834