美国演艺场馆建设：演出决定剧场设计

美国戏剧技术协会执行理事 [美]大卫·格林德尔 编译/王 沛

1 演出剧目长期受到建筑设计的限制

长期以来，演出与剧院的关系是：剧目一直在不断调整，以适应剧院的建筑设计。

随着时间的推移，剧院方发现在其剧院只能演出某一具体类型的剧目，这类剧目会用到吊景或置于舞台面上的布景——软景片或硬景片，一个既定的演区（将演员和观众隔离开）。这是剧院固有的理念，演员与观众之间几乎没有什么互动。

纵观历史，也有不符合这种理念的剧院。伦敦环球剧院（图1）始建于1599年，毁于1613年的火灾，重建于1997年，它可能是西方戏剧艺术史上最著名的采用了伸出式舞台的剧院。值得注意的是，在莎士比亚时期，布景用得不太多。

当代剧院里的伸出式舞台胜过环球剧院的伸出式舞台，但是仍然要求它们能为剧目的创作提供更大的灵活性。剧院的设计既要考虑到演出剧目的风格和类型，还要受到建筑设计的约束。格思里剧院（Guthrie Theatre）是美国的一座重要剧院，以其伸出式舞台著称。2006年，格思里剧院重建时，剧院咨询公司——费雪·德可思联合公司（Fisher Dachs Associates）再现了其最初的建造理念，在剧院里增设了两个表演区。在这个案例中，该公司没有采用单一演区方案，而是设置了三个演区——伸出式舞台、镜框式舞台和小“剧场”，为剧目的创作提供了多样的演出空间。

在过去的20年中，人们发现演区的设计理念已有所转变，演出空间变得更加灵活多变了。但这并不是什么新鲜事，纵观历史，灵活多变的演出空间可以追溯到古代宫廷的休息厅。而一个标志性的转变就在于人们对“什么是剧院”、“怎样才能使它更符合演出剧目的风格”等问题的认识跟以前不同了。

2 以太阳马戏团（Cirque du Soleil）为例分析剧目创作对剧院设计的影响

2.1 《Mystere》（神秘境界）演出

1993年12月25日，太阳马戏团开始在拉斯维加斯金银岛度假村酒店上演《Mystere》（图2）。这家剧院是在建造该度假村酒店的同时建造的，专为该演出而建。然而，老板史蒂夫·韦恩对于剧目的前景没有把握，所以，此剧院也可以承接其他剧目，翻修资金少得可怜。在金银岛大酒店打造一个常驻剧目给太阳马戏团和拉斯维加斯都带来了不小的转变。通常情况下，太阳马戏团的城市巡演是在一个大马戏棚内举行的，每次演出持续数周时间。当时他们入驻永久性的演出场所后，可以全身心地投入剧目的创作、置办固定演出设备并采用各种舞台技术。拉斯维加斯的演出文化曾经充斥着狂热的粉丝和歌舞表演，现在正朝着无剧本的马戏表演转变，其故事情节都是通过视觉语言来传达的。《西格弗里德和罗伊》等魔幻剧开启了非滑稽剧的大门。但是，太阳马戏团的节目超越了这类演出样式。它的首演礼与拉斯维加斯的家庭度假胜地宣传片在同时段播放，所以，这类演出样式比那些衣着暴露的歌舞女郎表演更适合家庭旅游时观赏。魔幻剧早已成为拉斯维加斯大道的招牌节目，但是现在太阳马戏团给这个小镇带来了“欧式风格”的马戏表演。人们会如何看待这类观众互动性更强的新的演出样式呢？

《Mystere》一剧备受青睐，在近20年后的今天依然久演不衰。虽然期间演出经历过几次改版，但从投资角度来看，收益远大于投入。虽然史蒂夫·韦恩不再是金银岛度假村酒店的老板了，但当他于1995年打造自己的酒店——韦恩拉斯维加斯时，规划建造了一处演出场所，专用于上演与其风格类似的常驻剧目《La Reve》（梦之湖）。

2.2 《O》（奇异水世界）秀

2.2.1 《O》秀的水池舞台

1998年，太阳马戏团首演剧目中的“O”形字母图样也许是演出剧目与剧院设计相互融合的最大突破。这个演出名是法文单词“水”的英文发音。《O》秀（图3）是耗资16亿美元兴建的贝拉吉欧度假村酒店的常驻剧目。受意大利科莫湖的启发，该酒店建有一个面积为3.2公顷的人工湖。由于《Mystere》秀获得了成功，因此，贝拉吉欧度假村酒店原先的老板史蒂夫·韦恩再次诚邀太阳马戏团成为他的合作伙伴，并创作了一个新的剧目。

太阳马戏团从《Mystere》秀中学到了很多东西，打算突破制作理念，打造其第二部常驻剧目。该剧院的针对性更强了，同时，加大了技术资金的投入，从而满足创作团队的艺术追求。该剧院的最大特色就是容积为5 700 m3的水池舞台，其周围设有1 800个座位。水池中布满了很多升降机，用以打造水中升降舞台。舞台可以完全被水淹没，一部分演出在水面上进行。为了使升降机在水中升降时尽可能不打破水面的平静，每台升降机上都钻有上千个小孔，这样当它来回移动时，水能从中通过。升降机这一元素给该剧目的创作者提供了多种可能性，这是以往的“水上”演出所无法享用到的。

2.2.2 空中飞人和室内水上表演的实现

出于飞行表演和在演区（对此设计风格而言，“舞台”作为既定演区的这一理念消失了）上方吊挂布景的需要，该剧目动用了一个可旋转的圆形装置。该装置必须结合无线技术才能旋转。它在可做圆周运动外，还要在旋转的同时侧向穿过演区。这样可以最大限度地覆盖空间，以满足该剧目的艺术需求。

从建筑角度来看，面临的另一个挑战是要让室内演出场所容纳下一片水域。最大的挑战是要为表演者和观众提供制热和制冷服务。表演者在水里进进出出时需要一个温暖的环境空间。水池水温需维持在31℃，演区温度也要保持在比较暖和的状态，这个温度要高于观众感觉舒适的温度。观众席的冷气来自座椅下方。观众席遍布温度传感器，以确保观众始终处于舒适的温度环境中。

剧目的艺术构思不仅开始影响到了剧院建筑的外形构造，还对其基础设施建设产生了影响。《O》秀依然是太阳马戏团常驻拉斯维加斯剧院最卖座的表演。拉斯维加斯属于沙漠性气候，其特征之一就是湿度低，因此，必须对剧院进行定期维护和保养。

《人类动物园》（2003版）上演于一座已采用伸出式舞台的传统剧院。虽然剧院建筑的造型一定受到了人体曲线的启发（与该剧主题相关），但是由《O》剧可知，该剧目对剧院设计的影响不及《O》剧广泛。

2.3 《KA》（卡）秀的演出设计

2005年2月，首演的太阳马戏团的第四部力作《KA》秀（图4）在演出风格和剧院设计的融合方面取得了重大突破。有趣的是，《KA》秀是首个在剧院完工后才上演的常驻剧目。米高梅大酒店于1993年竣工开业，只比金银岛度假村酒店和《Mystere》秀的开演早一周时间。米高梅大酒店剧院（The MGM Grand Theatre）在1995年至2003年间已承办过《EFX》秀的演出，后来其内部重新装修，专供《KA》秀演出使用。

在《KA》秀中，整个剧院都变成了演区。创作人、导演罗伯特·勒帕吉与舞台设计、剧院设计师马克·费舍尔共同打造出了一个演区，演员可以进入、穿过这个演区，演员可以飘浮于观众上空。当观众入场时，在他们假定的演区内空无一人。看似星星点点的火苗从凹下去的乐池里突然窜出。在预演中，勇士们先在台上与观众互动，然后飞到其上空。他们能够爬上缆绳，悬浮于观众上空飘过，被观众发现后又被拉回。

与以往演出所采用的单一舞台不同的是，此次演出中为其搭建了三个升降舞台，还搭建了一个悬臂台。该悬臂台被称为榻榻米台。演员可以在上面走动，布景可置于其上，它向外伸展并“悬浮”于演区上空。通过制作一个伸缩式舞台，还可为其他场景中的飞行表演留出空间。从观众的视角看，舞台中间的空地要比他们坐的地方低两层楼，这给人一种幻觉，那就是演员可能会掉下去且消失得无影无踪。由于没有了台框，因此，观众可以看到栅顶，从视觉上看起比以前更高了。这也使得这些装置能够在空的空间上方运动。总之，通过打造符合演出要求的剧场建筑，这场演出变得更加壮观。

沙岩悬崖平台是演区的核心区域。它的长、宽、高分别为7.6 m、15 m和2 m，重达36 300 kg，被固定在一个起重机架上。起重机架的吊点升高了20 m，以使其在垂直方向上可以全程旋转。演员可以骑在该平台的内侧，并可从其表面的舱口处出来。同时它还设有一套75个挂钩，用于模拟勇士们向平台射来的箭。在舞台的旋转过程中，这些挂钩可以支撑那些正在打斗中的演员。

该剧被评为史上制作最奢华、最复杂的剧目。这应归功于剧院建筑与剧情设计的完美结合。

3 启示：让舞台设计为演出服务

但是，这些大量案例如何影响美国剧院的演区设计？演出剧目本身对剧院的设计过程有直接或间接的影响。无论要建造一座注重艺术效果的剧院，还是建造一座灵活多变、面向市场、满足各类演出要求的剧院，我们所做的就是要让演区符合演出的使用需求，而不是让其符合建筑设计的要求，这种理念体现在几个有创意的剧院设计中。我们一起来看两个案例。

3.1 哈曼艺术中心

受莎士比亚剧团委托，哈曼艺术中心（参见本刊2008年第4期《西德尼哈曼剧院概况》一文）于2007年在华盛顿宣告开业，该剧院建于一座办公楼内，占据了大楼5层半的空间。其上还有5层半的办公楼层。后勤部门面临的挑战也包括附近的地铁线路和装料间对面的消防局。该剧院拥有镜框式舞台、尽端式舞台和伸出式舞台。前6排座位是可拆卸的，移走后这块区域可用作乐池，这个乐池很实用，效果很不错。

根据这个剧院的设计，该剧团可以轻而易举地把一种舞台变成另一种舞台。莎士比亚剧团不会在此上演其全部剧目，所以，一旦某出剧目的舞台布局确定下来之后，就没必要再去改动它了。

由于该大楼占地面积有限，因此，要把更衣室、化妆间、办公室等房间建造在演区的上层和下层。尽管与舞台处在同一标高的舞台两侧区域的空间足够大，不过它们是用来存放舞台布景的。

该剧院有一个非常有趣的特点，就是演区“悬浮”于主体建筑内部。它装有大块的降噪和防震垫，以降低来自街道和地铁的震动和噪声，把该大厅与该建筑的其余部分隔离开。最值得注意的是虽然这座大楼面朝华盛顿主干道，但是即使汽车鸣笛而过，表演厅依然能保持安静。

舞台前部结构可以缩回，提供一个开阔的空间。舞台上部沿周边有一个挑台并设有进出口，方便演员或技术人员进出。这个挑台和观众厅的楼座相通，需要时演员可以在剧场不同楼座之间穿行（图5）。

演区拱门处的开阔空间可以安装与该建筑木结构相匹配的隔音墙板。可使演区转变成了一个绝妙的带有台口和座位的小型演奏厅。在音乐会中，后墙充当背景幕。

我有幸导演了在这个剧院上演的第一部歌剧。这里大厅的效果很好。此前最大的顾虑是不够深而且相当浅，这会掩盖歌手的表演。但实际情况恰好相反。音效好得令人难以置信，剧院的声学设计使得观众听到的声音就像是从舞台上传来而不是伴随着管弦乐队的演奏唱出来似的，但是人们无法区分实际情况是什么样的。

3.2 迪-查尔斯·威利剧院

该剧院给剧目创作者提供了极大的灵活度，他们可以搭建平台，使用观众席入口，并可以改变座位布局以满足其不同的视觉需求。由于提供了充分的灵活度，剧院已经成为了观众和租用该剧院的剧团的最爱。

2009年开业的迪-查尔斯·威利剧院是美国德克萨斯州达拉斯市的达拉斯戏剧中心的专用剧院。该剧院是REX/OMA公司设计的，由英国剧院项目咨询公司（Theatre Projects Consultants）担任顾问。剧院的表演空间灵活多变，座位不是固定的，前台和后台并未围绕舞台搭建。演区布局的自由度很大。

为了得到开阔的空间，座位必须能被存放起来。一部分座位通过活动地板存放于演区下方。为了达到预期的观众容量，必须建造楼座。这些座位存放于演区上方的空间里。

剧院的另一个特色还在于它创造了一个既能使用独立移动座椅、又能使用升降座椅，还能使用存放在表演区上方的楼座座椅的空间，而观众席的座椅可以收起存放在顶棚。作为一家话剧团和两家舞蹈团的专用剧场，该剧院满足每一出剧目的艺术需求。剧院以其极大的灵活度和革命性的设计理念而受到业界的高度称赞。

为了建造一座适合演出使用的剧院，20年来，我们学到了很多东西。太阳马戏团的技术进步是开创性的，现已成为哈曼艺术中心和威利剧院等剧院建筑的标准配置。

使演员自由地游走于舞台和观众席之间，曾经是古希腊剧院设计过程中要考虑的重要环节，现在又再次回到人们的视线。不再强制规定演员从哪里入场、从哪里出场，而是为戏剧表演提供尽可能多的选择，这种设计理念已经成为这类风格的一个显著特征。

座位的重新布局（整体或局部）可以使演出空间根据剧目需要来设置，并且可以为演员和观众创造零距离接触的机会。即使观众坐在威利剧院“堆积式”的楼座里，与演员之间的距离其实也并不遥远，仍可以获得情感上的共鸣。

具备增加或移除声学反射面（该反射面与剧院的装潢风格相一致）的能力有助于打造出一个良好的声学环境。这样，各类演出都可以在最好的声学环境中上演，而不是对所有演出都采用同一种声学设计方案。

最后，电插座、通讯、以太网和其他接入点必须广泛分布于演区和观众席。以上各个方面相辅相成，高科技的运用使沟通更加便捷，如果做到了所有这一切，那么，这家剧院一定充分体现了剧院设计是为演出服务的理念。

大卫·格林德尔，美国戏剧技术协会（USITT）执行理事，兼任制作经理论坛、美国歌剧技术制作委员会及舞台经理协会会员，美国剧场管理和设计团队交流的客座讲师。

他曾带领团队起草美国本科生舞台管理教学国家标准，现在负责技术剧院教学标准年度评价工作；自从他加入USITT以来，与其团队成员合作开发了一些新的项目，比如精英培训周、声学实验室、服装海报学期档案等。在演艺方面，他是制作人论坛、美国歌剧技术制作委员会和舞台管理协会的会员。他曾执导华盛顿哈曼艺术中心上演的第一部歌剧。

（编辑 张 翔 陈 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.