美國戲劇技術協(xié)會執(zhí)行理事 [美]大衛(wèi)·格林德爾 編譯/王 沛

1 演出劇目長期受到建筑設計的限制

長期以來，演出與劇院的關系是：劇目一直在不斷調(diào)整，以適應劇院的建筑設計。

隨著時間的推移，劇院方發(fā)現(xiàn)在其劇院只能演出某一具體類型的劇目，這類劇目會用到吊景或置于舞臺面上的布景——軟景片或硬景片，一個既定的演區(qū)（將演員和觀眾隔離開）。這是劇院固有的理念，演員與觀眾之間幾乎沒有什么互動。

縱觀歷史，也有不符合這種理念的劇院。倫敦環(huán)球劇院（圖1）始建于1599年，毀于1613年的火災，重建于1997年，它可能是西方戲劇藝術史上最著名的采用了伸出式舞臺的劇院。值得注意的是，在莎士比亞時期，布景用得不太多。

當代劇院里的伸出式舞臺勝過環(huán)球劇院的伸出式舞臺，但是仍然要求它們能為劇目的創(chuàng)作提供更大的靈活性。劇院的設計既要考慮到演出劇目的風格和類型，還要受到建筑設計的約束。格思里劇院（Guthrie Theatre）是美國的一座重要劇院，以其伸出式舞臺著稱。2006年，格思里劇院重建時，劇院咨詢公司——費雪·德可思聯(lián)合公司（Fisher Dachs Associates）再現(xiàn)了其最初的建造理念，在劇院里增設了兩個表演區(qū)。在這個案例中，該公司沒有采用單一演區(qū)方案，而是設置了三個演區(qū)——伸出式舞臺、鏡框式舞臺和小“劇場”，為劇目的創(chuàng)作提供了多樣的演出空間。

在過去的20年中，人們發(fā)現(xiàn)演區(qū)的設計理念已有所轉變，演出空間變得更加靈活多變了。但這并不是什么新鮮事，縱觀歷史，靈活多變的演出空間可以追溯到古代宮廷的休息廳。而一個標志性的轉變就在于人們對“什么是劇院”、“怎樣才能使它更符合演出劇目的風格”等問題的認識跟以前不同了。

2 以太陽馬戲團（Cirque du Soleil）為例分析劇目創(chuàng)作對劇院設計的影響

2.1 《Mystere》（神秘境界）演出

1993年12月25日，太陽馬戲團開始在拉斯維加斯金銀島度假村酒店上演《Mystere》（圖2）。這家劇院是在建造該度假村酒店的同時建造的，專為該演出而建。然而，老板史蒂夫·韋恩對于劇目的前景沒有把握，所以，此劇院也可以承接其他劇目，翻修資金少得可憐。在金銀島大酒店打造一個常駐劇目給太陽馬戲團和拉斯維加斯都帶來了不小的轉變。通常情況下，太陽馬戲團的城市巡演是在一個大馬戲棚內(nèi)舉行的，每次演出持續(xù)數(shù)周時間。當時他們?nèi)腭v永久性的演出場所后，可以全身心地投入劇目的創(chuàng)作、置辦固定演出設備并采用各種舞臺技術。拉斯維加斯的演出文化曾經(jīng)充斥著狂熱的粉絲和歌舞表演，現(xiàn)在正朝著無劇本的馬戲表演轉變，其故事情節(jié)都是通過視覺語言來傳達的?！段鞲窀ダ锏潞土_伊》等魔幻劇開啟了非滑稽劇的大門。但是，太陽馬戲團的節(jié)目超越了這類演出樣式。它的首演禮與拉斯維加斯的家庭度假勝地宣傳片在同時段播放，所以，這類演出樣式比那些衣著暴露的歌舞女郎表演更適合家庭旅游時觀賞。魔幻劇早已成為拉斯維加斯大道的招牌節(jié)目，但是現(xiàn)在太陽馬戲團給這個小鎮(zhèn)帶來了“歐式風格”的馬戲表演。人們會如何看待這類觀眾互動性更強的新的演出樣式呢？

《Mystere》一劇備受青睞，在近20年后的今天依然久演不衰。雖然期間演出經(jīng)歷過幾次改版，但從投資角度來看，收益遠大于投入。雖然史蒂夫·韋恩不再是金銀島度假村酒店的老板了，但當他于1995年打造自己的酒店——韋恩拉斯維加斯時，規(guī)劃建造了一處演出場所，專用于上演與其風格類似的常駐劇目《La Reve》（夢之湖）。

2.2 《O》（奇異水世界）秀

2.2.1 《O》秀的水池舞臺

1998年，太陽馬戲團首演劇目中的“O”形字母圖樣也許是演出劇目與劇院設計相互融合的最大突破。這個演出名是法文單詞“水”的英文發(fā)音。《O》秀（圖3）是耗資16億美元興建的貝拉吉歐度假村酒店的常駐劇目。受意大利科莫湖的啟發(fā)，該酒店建有一個面積為3.2公頃的人工湖。由于《Mystere》秀獲得了成功，因此，貝拉吉歐度假村酒店原先的老板史蒂夫·韋恩再次誠邀太陽馬戲團成為他的合作伙伴，并創(chuàng)作了一個新的劇目。

太陽馬戲團從《Mystere》秀中學到了很多東西，打算突破制作理念，打造其第二部常駐劇目。該劇院的針對性更強了，同時，加大了技術資金的投入，從而滿足創(chuàng)作團隊的藝術追求。該劇院的最大特色就是容積為5 700 m3的水池舞臺，其周圍設有1 800個座位。水池中布滿了很多升降機，用以打造水中升降舞臺。舞臺可以完全被水淹沒，一部分演出在水面上進行。為了使升降機在水中升降時盡可能不打破水面的平靜，每臺升降機上都鉆有上千個小孔，這樣當它來回移動時，水能從中通過。升降機這一元素給該劇目的創(chuàng)作者提供了多種可能性，這是以往的“水上”演出所無法享用到的。

2.2.2 空中飛人和室內(nèi)水上表演的實現(xiàn)

出于飛行表演和在演區(qū)（對此設計風格而言，“舞臺”作為既定演區(qū)的這一理念消失了）上方吊掛布景的需要，該劇目動用了一個可旋轉的圓形裝置。該裝置必須結合無線技術才能旋轉。它在可做圓周運動外，還要在旋轉的同時側向穿過演區(qū)。這樣可以最大限度地覆蓋空間，以滿足該劇目的藝術需求。

從建筑角度來看，面臨的另一個挑戰(zhàn)是要讓室內(nèi)演出場所容納下一片水域。最大的挑戰(zhàn)是要為表演者和觀眾提供制熱和制冷服務。表演者在水里進進出出時需要一個溫暖的環(huán)境空間。水池水溫需維持在31℃，演區(qū)溫度也要保持在比較暖和的狀態(tài)，這個溫度要高于觀眾感覺舒適的溫度。觀眾席的冷氣來自座椅下方。觀眾席遍布溫度傳感器，以確保觀眾始終處于舒適的溫度環(huán)境中。

劇目的藝術構思不僅開始影響到了劇院建筑的外形構造，還對其基礎設施建設產(chǎn)生了影響。《O》秀依然是太陽馬戲團常駐拉斯維加斯劇院最賣座的表演。拉斯維加斯屬于沙漠性氣候，其特征之一就是濕度低，因此，必須對劇院進行定期維護和保養(yǎng)。

《人類動物園》（2003版）上演于一座已采用伸出式舞臺的傳統(tǒng)劇院。雖然劇院建筑的造型一定受到了人體曲線的啟發(fā)（與該劇主題相關），但是由《O》劇可知，該劇目對劇院設計的影響不及《O》劇廣泛。

2.3 《KA》（卡）秀的演出設計

2005年2月，首演的太陽馬戲團的第四部力作《KA》秀（圖4）在演出風格和劇院設計的融合方面取得了重大突破。有趣的是，《KA》秀是首個在劇院完工后才上演的常駐劇目。米高梅大酒店于1993年竣工開業(yè)，只比金銀島度假村酒店和《Mystere》秀的開演早一周時間。米高梅大酒店劇院（The MGM Grand Theatre）在1995年至2003年間已承辦過《EFX》秀的演出，后來其內(nèi)部重新裝修，專供《KA》秀演出使用。

在《KA》秀中，整個劇院都變成了演區(qū)。創(chuàng)作人、導演羅伯特·勒帕吉與舞臺設計、劇院設計師馬克·費舍爾共同打造出了一個演區(qū)，演員可以進入、穿過這個演區(qū)，演員可以飄浮于觀眾上空。當觀眾入場時，在他們假定的演區(qū)內(nèi)空無一人?？此菩切屈c點的火苗從凹下去的樂池里突然竄出。在預演中，勇士們先在臺上與觀眾互動，然后飛到其上空。他們能夠爬上纜繩，懸浮于觀眾上空飄過，被觀眾發(fā)現(xiàn)后又被拉回。

與以往演出所采用的單一舞臺不同的是，此次演出中為其搭建了三個升降舞臺，還搭建了一個懸臂臺。該懸臂臺被稱為榻榻米臺。演員可以在上面走動，布景可置于其上，它向外伸展并“懸浮”于演區(qū)上空。通過制作一個伸縮式舞臺，還可為其他場景中的飛行表演留出空間。從觀眾的視角看，舞臺中間的空地要比他們坐的地方低兩層樓，這給人一種幻覺，那就是演員可能會掉下去且消失得無影無蹤。由于沒有了臺框，因此，觀眾可以看到柵頂，從視覺上看起比以前更高了。這也使得這些裝置能夠在空的空間上方運動。總之，通過打造符合演出要求的劇場建筑，這場演出變得更加壯觀。

沙巖懸崖平臺是演區(qū)的核心區(qū)域。它的長、寬、高分別為7.6 m、15 m和2 m，重達36 300 kg，被固定在一個起重機架上。起重機架的吊點升高了20 m，以使其在垂直方向上可以全程旋轉。演員可以騎在該平臺的內(nèi)側，并可從其表面的艙口處出來。同時它還設有一套75個掛鉤，用于模擬勇士們向平臺射來的箭。在舞臺的旋轉過程中，這些掛鉤可以支撐那些正在打斗中的演員。

該劇被評為史上制作最奢華、最復雜的劇目。這應歸功于劇院建筑與劇情設計的完美結合。

3 啟示：讓舞臺設計為演出服務

但是，這些大量案例如何影響美國劇院的演區(qū)設計？演出劇目本身對劇院的設計過程有直接或間接的影響。無論要建造一座注重藝術效果的劇院，還是建造一座靈活多變、面向市場、滿足各類演出要求的劇院，我們所做的就是要讓演區(qū)符合演出的使用需求，而不是讓其符合建筑設計的要求，這種理念體現(xiàn)在幾個有創(chuàng)意的劇院設計中。我們一起來看兩個案例。

3.1 哈曼藝術中心

受莎士比亞劇團委托，哈曼藝術中心（參見本刊2008年第4期《西德尼哈曼劇院概況》一文）于2007年在華盛頓宣告開業(yè)，該劇院建于一座辦公樓內(nèi)，占據(jù)了大樓5層半的空間。其上還有5層半的辦公樓層。后勤部門面臨的挑戰(zhàn)也包括附近的地鐵線路和裝料間對面的消防局。該劇院擁有鏡框式舞臺、盡端式舞臺和伸出式舞臺。前6排座位是可拆卸的，移走后這塊區(qū)域可用作樂池，這個樂池很實用，效果很不錯。

根據(jù)這個劇院的設計，該劇團可以輕而易舉地把一種舞臺變成另一種舞臺。莎士比亞劇團不會在此上演其全部劇目，所以，一旦某出劇目的舞臺布局確定下來之后，就沒必要再去改動它了。

由于該大樓占地面積有限，因此，要把更衣室、化妝間、辦公室等房間建造在演區(qū)的上層和下層。盡管與舞臺處在同一標高的舞臺兩側區(qū)域的空間足夠大，不過它們是用來存放舞臺布景的。

該劇院有一個非常有趣的特點，就是演區(qū)“懸浮”于主體建筑內(nèi)部。它裝有大塊的降噪和防震墊，以降低來自街道和地鐵的震動和噪聲，把該大廳與該建筑的其余部分隔離開。最值得注意的是雖然這座大樓面朝華盛頓主干道，但是即使汽車鳴笛而過，表演廳依然能保持安靜。

舞臺前部結構可以縮回，提供一個開闊的空間。舞臺上部沿周邊有一個挑臺并設有進出口，方便演員或技術人員進出。這個挑臺和觀眾廳的樓座相通，需要時演員可以在劇場不同樓座之間穿行（圖5）。

演區(qū)拱門處的開闊空間可以安裝與該建筑木結構相匹配的隔音墻板?？墒寡輩^(qū)轉變成了一個絕妙的帶有臺口和座位的小型演奏廳。在音樂會中，后墻充當背景幕。

我有幸導演了在這個劇院上演的第一部歌劇。這里大廳的效果很好。此前最大的顧慮是不夠深而且相當淺，這會掩蓋歌手的表演。但實際情況恰好相反。音效好得令人難以置信，劇院的聲學設計使得觀眾聽到的聲音就像是從舞臺上傳來而不是伴隨著管弦樂隊的演奏唱出來似的，但是人們無法區(qū)分實際情況是什么樣的。

3.2 迪-查爾斯·威利劇院

該劇院給劇目創(chuàng)作者提供了極大的靈活度，他們可以搭建平臺，使用觀眾席入口，并可以改變座位布局以滿足其不同的視覺需求。由于提供了充分的靈活度，劇院已經(jīng)成為了觀眾和租用該劇院的劇團的最愛。

2009年開業(yè)的迪-查爾斯·威利劇院是美國德克薩斯州達拉斯市的達拉斯戲劇中心的專用劇院。該劇院是REX/OMA公司設計的，由英國劇院項目咨詢公司（Theatre Projects Consultants）擔任顧問。劇院的表演空間靈活多變，座位不是固定的，前臺和后臺并未圍繞舞臺搭建。演區(qū)布局的自由度很大。

為了得到開闊的空間，座位必須能被存放起來。一部分座位通過活動地板存放于演區(qū)下方。為了達到預期的觀眾容量，必須建造樓座。這些座位存放于演區(qū)上方的空間里。

劇院的另一個特色還在于它創(chuàng)造了一個既能使用獨立移動座椅、又能使用升降座椅，還能使用存放在表演區(qū)上方的樓座座椅的空間，而觀眾席的座椅可以收起存放在頂棚。作為一家話劇團和兩家舞蹈團的專用劇場，該劇院滿足每一出劇目的藝術需求。劇院以其極大的靈活度和革命性的設計理念而受到業(yè)界的高度稱贊。

為了建造一座適合演出使用的劇院，20年來，我們學到了很多東西。太陽馬戲團的技術進步是開創(chuàng)性的，現(xiàn)已成為哈曼藝術中心和威利劇院等劇院建筑的標準配置。

使演員自由地游走于舞臺和觀眾席之間，曾經(jīng)是古希臘劇院設計過程中要考慮的重要環(huán)節(jié)，現(xiàn)在又再次回到人們的視線。不再強制規(guī)定演員從哪里入場、從哪里出場，而是為戲劇表演提供盡可能多的選擇，這種設計理念已經(jīng)成為這類風格的一個顯著特征。

座位的重新布局（整體或局部）可以使演出空間根據(jù)劇目需要來設置，并且可以為演員和觀眾創(chuàng)造零距離接觸的機會。即使觀眾坐在威利劇院“堆積式”的樓座里，與演員之間的距離其實也并不遙遠，仍可以獲得情感上的共鳴。

具備增加或移除聲學反射面（該反射面與劇院的裝潢風格相一致）的能力有助于打造出一個良好的聲學環(huán)境。這樣，各類演出都可以在最好的聲學環(huán)境中上演，而不是對所有演出都采用同一種聲學設計方案。

最后，電插座、通訊、以太網(wǎng)和其他接入點必須廣泛分布于演區(qū)和觀眾席。以上各個方面相輔相成，高科技的運用使溝通更加便捷，如果做到了所有這一切，那么，這家劇院一定充分體現(xiàn)了劇院設計是為演出服務的理念。

大衛(wèi)·格林德爾，美國戲劇技術協(xié)會（USITT）執(zhí)行理事，兼任制作經(jīng)理論壇、美國歌劇技術制作委員會及舞臺經(jīng)理協(xié)會會員，美國劇場管理和設計團隊交流的客座講師。

他曾帶領團隊起草美國本科生舞臺管理教學國家標準，現(xiàn)在負責技術劇院教學標準年度評價工作；自從他加入USITT以來，與其團隊成員合作開發(fā)了一些新的項目，比如精英培訓周、聲學實驗室、服裝海報學期檔案等。在演藝方面，他是制作人論壇、美國歌劇技術制作委員會和舞臺管理協(xié)會的會員。他曾執(zhí)導華盛頓哈曼藝術中心上演的第一部歌劇。

（編輯 張 翔 陳 琴）

Productions have spent many years adapting to the architecture in which they are presented. Over time theatres saw themselves designed and constrained to present a specif i c style of production, with fl ying or fl oor mounted scenery, soft or hard masking, and a def i ned performing area that kept the performers separate from the audience. It was a mentality of entertainment with little audience interaction.

There are exceptions to this philosophy across history.The Globe Theatre in London 1599-1613 and rebuilt in 1997 is perhaps the most well known thrust environment in the history of Western Dramatic Arts. Notably there isn’t much scenery used in the conf i guration during Shakespeare’s time.

Contemporary thrust stages play off of the Globe design but still require greater fl exibility in the design of the production.The venue is designed with a style or type of performance in mind that will fill the space and adapt to the architectural constraints. The Guthrie Theatre is an important American theatre that built its artistic reputation and became known for its thrust stage. When it was rebuilt in 2006, Fisher Dachs Associates recreated the original concept while adding two more performance spaces in the venue. In this case, rather than one performance space adapting, the company built three spaces,thrust, proscenium, and a small “studio” space to have various environments in which to create productions.

In the last twenty years, we have seen a shift in performance space construction to allow more fl exibility in spaces. While not a new concept, fl exible spaces can be traced back to the drawing rooms of palaces throughout history. A marked change in the concept of what is a theatre, how can it adapt, and the inf l uence of production design on the architecture occurred that can be seen as potentially coming from the decision to present the work of one company in one particular city.

Cirque du Soleil opened Mystere 25 December 1993 at Treasure Island Resort and Casino. The theatre was purpose built for the show during the construction of the resort. However the owner, Steve Wynn, was not conf i dent of the success of the production, so it is a venue capable of holding other productions with little investment in renovation. This establishment of a Resident Show was a transition for both Cirque and Las Vegas.Cirque du Soleil normally performed touring in a large tent that sat in a city for a few weeks at a time. They were moving to a permanent installation which allowed them to think in terms of production, equipment, and technology that could be installed and not have to move. Las Vegas’ entertainment culture was moving from feathers and fans to a circus with no discernable text and a story told with all visuals. Magic acts, such as Siegfried and Roy had started to open the door to non-revue type shows. But Cirque du Soleil was a major leap from even that style of entertainment. This debut coincided with the promotion of Las Vegas as a family vacation destination, so shows of this style were viewed as more family friendly over scantily clad showgirls. The magic act had long been a staple of The Strip,but we were now bringing a “European style” circus to town.How would people accept this new style of entertainment that had greater audience interaction?

Mystere was wildly popular and is still running almost 20 years later. The show has undergone revisions in that time, but as an investment it has long earned back its capitalization. Steve Wynn no longer owns Treasure Island, but when he built his own property, The Wynn Las Vegas in 1995, the plans included a purpose built resident show of similar style, La Reve.

Perhaps the largest breakthrough in production concept and design driving architecture came with the 1998 opening ofCirque du Soleil’s “O.” The title is the English phonetic pronunciation of the French Eau or Water. The Bellagio Resort and Casino, home of this resident production, was built at a cost of US$1.6 billion. Inspired by the Lake Como region of Italy, the hotel property includes a 3.2 hectacre lake. Based on the success of Mystere, it was natural that Bellagio’s original owner Steve Wynn would ask Cirque du Soleil to partner again and create a new production for this property.

Cirque learned many things with Mystere and were ready to stretch the boundaries of design and production with their second resident show. This theatre would be more purpose built and invest in technology developed specifically to meet the artistic needs of the creative team. The greatest feature is a 5,700 m3 pool of water around which seat 1800 audience members.The pool is fi lled with a series of lifts that bring stage platforms up through the water. It is possible to have a completely covered pool and portion of the show are done out of the water on solid surfaces. To allow the lifts to rise and fall through the water with minimal disturbance, each lift has thousands of small holes drilled through to allow water to pass as it moves back and forth.The lifts gave fl exibility to the show’s creators that previous“water” shows have not enjoyed

The production requires an inf i nite rotation circular rig for flying performers and scenery over the performance area (the idea of the “stage” as a def i ned area is passing away in this style of design). This unit had to be developed with wireless technology to allow for inf i nite rotation. In addition to circular motion, the unit must travel laterally across the performance space as it turns. This allows for maximum coverage of the space to accommodate the artistic needs of the production.

Additional architectural challenges were faced by putting a water based show indoors. The most notable challenge came in designing the heating and cooling for the performers and the audience. Performers need a warm space as they come and go from the water. The pool water is maintained at 31 degrees C and the air in the performing area is also kept warmer than would be comfortable for patrons. Air for the audience area is cooled from under the seats. Sensors are placed throughout the seating units to insure consistent temperature and comfort for the audience.

The artistic choices of the production have now begun to spiral out to impact not only the configuration of the architecture, but logistics of the build infrastructure. O remains the top selling show in the Cirque du Soleil canon in Las Vegas.The venue must undergo constant maintenance and upkeep due to the humidity, a factor more prevalent in the desert climate of Las Vegas.

2003’s Zumanity had been a thrust stage with a traditional house. While the shape of the architecture was certainly inf l uenced by the curve of the human body (Zumanity is referred to as the sensual side of Cirque) the inf l uence of production on design witnessed in O is not as prevalent in that production.

Opening in February 2005, Cirque’s fourth show KA made major breakthroughs in the blending of production design and architecture. Interestingly, this is the first resident show not presented in a theatre built during the construction of the venue. The MGM Grand opened in 1993, one week before Treasure Island and Mystere. The MGM Grand Theatre had previously held the production show EFX from 1995 to 2003 was completely gutted to install the production.

The entire theatre becomes a performance space in KA.Creator and director Robert LePage worked with scenic and theatre designer Mark Fisher to create a space that allowed the performer to be in, through, and above the audience from preshow through the performance. When the audience enters, there is a void in what they presume to be the performance area. Bursts of flame shoot up, seemingly randomly, from a cavernous pit. During preshow,warriors interact with audience members on foot and flying above them. They are able to decend on cables, float over the audience members heads and zip back up once noticed.

Rather than one stage that accommodates all action,multiple stages were built as lifts and one more that cantilevers.The cantilevering deck is called the Tatami Deck. This deck allows for scenery and performers to be set and then extended out over a void to “f l oat” in the playing space. By making a retractable stage, it also allows for clear space for fl ying in other scenes. The void perceived by the audience goes two floors beneath the audience level giving the illusion that performers can fall and disappear in to nothingness. There is no proscenium,so the audience can see to the grid enhancing the height visually.This also allows units to track on and off over the void. In all,the story telling is magnif i ed by creating adaptable architecture.

The sand cliff deck is the central performance space.Mounted on a gantry it is 7.6mx15mx2m weighing 36,300 kilos.The lift point of the gantry rises 20 meters to allow full rotation in a vertical orientation. The deck has the ability for performers to ride inside and come out through hatches on the surface. It also has a series of over 75 pegs that simulate arrows being shot in to the surface by warriors. These pegs can the support the weight of performers who do a battle scene while the stage is rotating.

This production has been hailed as the most lavish and complex theatrical production in the world. The ability of each element of the architectural design to focus on the story telling aids that claim.

But how have these extravagant examples influenced performance space design in the United States? Whether directly or indirectly, the needs of the production or productions in a facility play a greater role in the design process and result.Whether to aid the artistic goals of the company or to create a space more flexible and marketable for various types of entertainment, the ability of a performance space to adapt to the needs of the show, rather than the show to the architecture is playing in the forefront of several innovative designs. Let’s look at two examples.

The Harman Center for the Arts opened in 2007 in Washington DC. Commissioned by the Shakespeare Theatre Company, this facility was constructed inside an off i ce building as it was constructed, occupying the fi rst fi ve and a half fl oors.There are 5 and half floors of office space above the theatre.Logistical challenges also included a nearby subway line and a fi re house across from the loading door. The space is designed to have proscenium, end-stage, and three quarter conf i gurations.The fi rst six rows of seats can be removed creating an effective and functional orchestra pit.

The venue is designed to give the company the ability to move fairly easily from one configuration to another.Shakespeare Theatre does not produce in repertory in the space,so once conf i guration is established for a production it does not have to be changed.

Space constraints of the geography required support spaces such as dressing rooms, wardrobe, off i ces, etc to be built above and below the performance space, though adequate offstage wing space is provided for allowing scenery storage on stage level.

An interesting feature of the space is that the performance space “f l oats” inside the main building. There are large sound and vibration absorbing pads that negate the vibration and sound of street and subway traff i c, isolating the hall from the remainder of the building. This is most noted when one is in the lobby spaces which face a main thoroughfare in the national capital,but the performance hall remains quite even as sirens pass.

The proscenium retracts to provide an open space. There is an upper balcony all the way around the space allowing for upper entrances and exits of the performers or passage for technicians. This balcony connects to the audience balcony which would allow for performer passage through the house on all levels if so desired.

The open spaces in the performance space arches can be filled with acoustic wall panels that match the wood of the architecture. This converts the space in to a marvelous small recital hall with the proscenium in and all seats are in place. The back wall serves as a backdrop for a musical performance.

I had the fortune of directing the fi rst opera to be produced in this venue. The hall behaved beautifully. The main fear was that the orchestra, being not in a deep pit, but a rather shallow one, would overwhelm the singers. The truth was in fact just the opposite. The balance of sound was incredible as the acoustical design of the venue had been done with the spoken word in mind coming from the stage, not singing over orchestra, but you could not have told that was the case.

This venue provides a large amount of flexibility to production designers as they can create levels, use audience entrances, and conf i gure the seating to accommodate their visual needs. By offering such flexibility the venue has become a favorite of audience members and companies renting the facility.

The Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre opened in 2009 as the home of the Dallas Theatre Center, a regional theatre in Dallas, Texas.

This space, designed by REX/OMA with consulting by Theatre Projects, gives a completely fl exible space. There are no permanent seats and no support space on the performance level.The entire space is open to design conf i guration.

To allow for an open space, the seating must be stored.A portion of the seating is stored under the performance space accessed via removable floor panels. To achieve the desired seating capacity balconies were required. These seats are stored in a space above the performance area.

The venue allows for a great amount of fl exibility to create a space using individual chairs, seating risers, or the large balcony equipped seating units that store in the ceiling. As the home to a dramatic company and two different dance companies,the venue supports the artistic needs of each on a production by production basis. This enormous amount of fl exibility has led to high acclaim for such a revolutionary design.

To construct a space based on production driven design we have learned much in the last 20 years. Advances in technology that were groundbreaking with Cirque du Soleil are now standard in constructions like the Harman or the Wyly.

The ability for the performer to enter and exit through the audience, a staple in ancient Greece, has returned in this design style. Not forcing the option of where to exit or enter, rather providing as many options as possible to the production is a hallmark of this style.

David Grindle:

Executive Director of the United States Institute for Theatre Technology. Recognized nationally and internationally for his expertise in training young designers and technicians, David has a history both in academia and in the professional performing arts. He lead the team that drafted national standards for the teaching of stage management to undergraduates in the United States and now leads the charge for annual reviews of technical theatre teaching standards in all areas of education.

Since joining USITT he has worked with the membership to develop new opportunities such as Elite Training Weekends, Sound Lab, and the Costume Poster Session Archives. In the performing arts he holds membership in the Production Managers Forum, Opera America’s Technical Production Advisory Committee,and the Stage Managers Association. He directed the fi rst opera to be staged at the Harman Center for the Arts in Washington DC.