Post Gazette: Theatergoers often don't notice the comfort of their seats at Benedum Center, especially when they are transported by a Broadway musical, opera or theater production.But in the past five years, complaints about seats in the Cultural District's largest theater have increased. That's why in January, Benedum Center will go dark for three weeks while stagehands, seamstresses and craftsmen remove, disassemble, repair and refurbish each of the 2,881 seats. The project will cost $450,000.
Sunday, October 09, 2011
Best Seat in the House: At Benedum Center, a $450,000 project will replace all of the theater's 2,881 seats
Post Gazette: Theatergoers often don't notice the comfort of their seats at Benedum Center, especially when they are transported by a Broadway musical, opera or theater production.But in the past five years, complaints about seats in the Cultural District's largest theater have increased. That's why in January, Benedum Center will go dark for three weeks while stagehands, seamstresses and craftsmen remove, disassemble, repair and refurbish each of the 2,881 seats. The project will cost $450,000.
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11 comments:
This is an aspect of the live theatre experience I had never put much thought into. I usually take the seats for granted in a theater when I go see a show, without paying much attention to. I'm surprised how much money goes into maintaining these seats, but it makes sense now after the article explains why. The fact that there are four difference different kinds of seats in the Benedum based on different locations in the theatre is surprising too.
This is something that I too never really paid much mind to when seeing a play. It's the kind of thing that you don't really notice unless there is a problem with it. An uncomfortable seat will ruin my night and take focus away from the production, but a comfortable one will oftentimes go unappreciated. It's kind of similar to how you don't notice when light switches and outlets are on a set, but you notice when they're missing.
The steps a theater takes to ensure the audience's comfort determine their overall experience of the production they are seeing. Many times, if the room is too hot or too cold, the audience won't be able to focus on what is happening on stage. Appropriate seating is incredibly necessary and a step that many theaters need to examine closely. I am glad that the Benedum is taking these steps to ensure greater comfort of their patrons. Hopefully, this will boost some of their income, and assist in overall increase in audience morale. I do wonder if patrons will realize the change, or as David said, it will go unappreciated.
I agree with Liz when she says the overall experience of the audience can be determined by the comfort of their environment. While this article says that "theatergoers often don't notice the comfort of their seats at Benedum Center," it is the discomfort that people notice. Even if it is a subconscious acknowledgement of the discomfort, it can quickly ruin a person's experience, and their opinion of the show that they are seeing. I'm happy to see that there is a pre-determined budget for the renovations of certain theatre spaces, as that can easily be something that is ignored by theaters that don't have the time or money to accomplish these tasks. I wonder if in the future these types of renovations can be done gradually, so that they become more routine and will not have to require a theatre to go dark for several weeks to work on maintenance.
An article written by Marylynne Pitz and appearing in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette titled
"Best Seats in the House" Kevin McMahon, President and CEO of the Cultural Trust said the organization can spend between $1,200 and $1,400 a day when it calls in four stagehands for eight hours to repair seats.
Upon doing the math it has been found that calling in four stagehands (since the Trust only has three at the Benedum) at the hourly rate and including benefits for eight hours the total wage is $741.44 and benefits total $237.26 for a total of $978.70 wages and benefits. A far cry from the $1,200 to 1,400 McMahon has said. Either the Post-Gazette has reported this wrong or McMahon needs to take a refresher course in math. More than likely this is just another attempt by the Trust to attack stagehands and continue a blatant disregard for it's own workforce.
This appears as just another recent incident where the Cultural Trust uses its own stagehands as a scapegoat for all the organizations financial woes. There is no doubt the stagehands see a total lack of respect and under attack by their own employer. The same workforce of talented stagehands that have been in place for over 24 years for the Cultural Trust. The same Stagehands who are an integral part of making the Cultural District a success and a premiere destination for entertainment. The same Stagehands that construct, build, and make the magic happen for the entertainment industry within the Pittsburgh Cultural district at the Benedum Center, Byham Theater, Heinz Hall, the O’Reilly Theater, The Cabaret Theater, Katz Plaza and others. The same Stagehands that are being ignored by the Cultural Trust as it continues to expand and operate such events as First Night Celebration, the Three Rivers Arts Festival, Jazz Festival, Cosmopolitan Pittsburgh and Gallery Crawls. The same organization that continues to give monumental salary increases to top management since 2001. (check for yourself)
One must ask is there anyone with a rational mind that can reign in on such lunacy.
EYES on the ARTS
The expense and attention to detail of redoing the seats to match their original design is notable and reflects the ever present nostalgia in large theatre houses. The article mentioned that this same company deals with most of the NYC commercial venues, and I'm curious as to how long those seats last before needing repairs. They probably are used in more performances a year that the Benedum's seats, so I wonder if this large expense is frequent. Brooke brings up a good point about replacing things gradually, but given the amount of time it would take to even do a small section, it's probably more economically to shut down the theatre for a few weeks and do it all at once.
This is such an interesting and immense endeavor. I can't imagine how interesting those three weeks will be, and I kind of wish I was on the project to find out. I do find it interesting and admirable that they are keeping all the seat in their structure, and only planning on switching out the cushions and fabric. This reinforces how proud they are of the historic significance of their space, and I really appreciate that. I do wonder whether the cost of not having a show in there during those three weeks is included in the $450,000. I also wonder how far in advance they had to plan this project and how long it has been in the works.
You don't really think about the seating when you go to a theatre. Maybe I've wished that there was more leg room, but overall, I've never really cared about the seats. But when you think about it, the seats are actually pretty important. If the audience is uncomfortable the whole time, then they aren't paying attention to the show. It's great that the Benedum is putting this much effort into the comfort of the audience.
I'm glad to see that the theatre is not overlooking these small details that are a big deal to the audiences who come to see shows there. Although the seats in a theatre are such a minute part of the whole picture of what it takes to put on a show it is definitely something that still needs to be taken into consideration. If people come to a theatre and see a show but are uncomfortable having to sit through it the whole time they might consider in the future wether or not to come to another show.
I'm glad to hear that they are making this investment. I understand the Benedum is a road house, but I wonder if a producing house would have any chance of making such an investment. This probably exceeds the production budget of a season or at least a show. I also wonder if Billy Elliot pushed part of this choice. In Chicago, I think they built a custom pit plug for the theatre they sat down at.
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