Retrofitting a performance space: Everyman Theatre.

Abstract

The new home of the Everyman Theatre company opened in 1910 as a Vaudeville house and has had many reincarnations throughout its lifetime, including a parking garage and 1550‐seat movie theater. In its latest reincarnation, the space under renovation was a large movie theater. A challenge for the project team has been to take this configuration and turn it into something that fits the needs of the Everyman Theater company. The current renovation is underway and will include a large studio theater, with approximately 250 seats and several different configurations including a typical end stage, thrust stage, and arena stage, a Blackbox theater, and support spaces such as classrooms, offices, and rehearsal space. One of the main issues related to the pre‐existing space is its current structure. The current design has two theaters stacked vertically and there is concern that noise and vibration from activities from the upper theater could disturb occupants in the lower theater. Upgrading the structure is complicated by the location of the building which sits directly above a metro tunnel and therefore has strict weight requirements. The approach currently proposed is to include a floating concrete floor and sound barrier ceiling. [Chris Pollock (SMW), Rima Namek and Diane Cho (Cho Benn Holback), Millie Dixon and John Coyne (Theatre Projects), and Vincent Lancisi (Everyman Theatre).]