Designed by world-renowned Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, the theater features a grand six-story lobby with dramatic retractable glass walls. It is a beacon of light and energy on Main Street. Yet, there were several challenges in designing a multi-use hall that could accommodate the needs of various performers.
2 comments:
This theatre is beautiful to look at. I only with they gave us more angles to showcase the varied wood colors that mimic the landscape of Utah. I also enjoyed learning about the impressive amounts of drapes and curtains they used to control the sound and make the very tall ceiling feel intimate. I think the choice of bringing the audience up along the wall as opposed to farther back in a shallow rake like you usually see in theaters is an intersting choice, but it does make it so every audience member is physically closer to the stage, just higher up, though you can’t see how far back that audience bank is where the picture was taken. It really just brings me back to the beauty of Utah and the varied colored rock that makes up the mountains. The star field drape above the audience brings in the clear skies of the night that you just don’t see in heavily populated areas. I would be very interested to see a show in this new space to feel the acoustical differences from other spaces I've been in.
Building a new performing arts center is always a challenge, and it seems like the Eccles theater is no exception. This is one of, if not the first, that I’ve heard of to incorporate indoor and outdoor performance spaces. One of the most crucial and probably most complicated part of any performance venue is the sound. And I’m not talking about microphones, mixers and other equipment. Just the natural acoustics of the space can be a challenge to control – and I know very little about it, but it seems like it was one of the top priorities for this center. In this venue, seating was also a challenge as it is a venue that is used in multiple configurations. Much like our space, even the seating can change, it feels permanent. It sounds like those involved have put a lot of thought and effort into the building. I’d love to go for a visit.
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