hk17 high school auditorium report and recommendations report.pdf · 14jul15 draft theater design...

HK17 High School Auditorium

Report and Recommendations

Prepared for: Haddam‐Killingworth Regional School District

By: THEATER DESIGN INC 3 Short St, Cold Spring, NY 10516

First Draft: 14 July 2015

Regional School District 17 HK17 HS Auditorium TDI#1519

14jul15 draft Theater Design Inc 2

Introduction

Theater Design has been

engaged by the Haddam‐

Killingworth Regional School

District to survey the theatrical

systems and equipment at the

HK17 High School auditorium.

Constructed in the 1970s, the

auditorium has not undergone

any comprehensive renovation of

the facility.

To complete the survey we met

with high school staff and

administrators to gain an

understanding of how the

auditorium is used and to identify problems encountered using the auditorium. We

made a visual inspection of the lighting, sound and rigging systems and the backstage,

catwalks and control booth.

On‐site Meeting

On July 7, 2015, we met with high school Principal Donna Hayworth, district janitors

TK and TK and Paul Drummey of the Capitol Region Education Council. The following

items were identified.

The existing audience seating needs to be reupholstered repainted and repaired

as necessary.

The walls of the audience area need to be repainted in a different color.

The concrete floor should be painted or stained to a darker value.

Audience area carpet should, as a minimum, be cleaned and repaired.

o Several transitions from the cross‐aisle to the stairs have been taped down.

These create a potential tripping hazard.

Although the three (3) “balcony” teaching spaces are not used as classrooms,

they remain necessary to accommodate school assemblies and other programs.

o The folding partitions are not used and it is unknown whether they still

work.

o Each space has a projection screen, but it is not known whether they work.

o There is no permanent projector in any of these spaces.

The construction of the stage platforms is such that the footfalls of performers

echo.



Wheelchair access into the audience area and between the audience area and the

stage is an issue.

o There is a wheelchair lift between the audience area and stage, but it is

noisy and not used.

o There is wheelchair access from the lobby to the cross‐aisle, but there is no

access to the front of the seating area.

o There is wheelchair access between the seating area and the stage, but it is

via corridors outside of the audience area. Better circulation is desirable.

The lighting control console is no longer capable of library storage of cues.

Often control of the stage lighting and sound system is relocated from the control

room to the cross aisle. To accommodate this, cables are run from the control

room.

The existing speakers (mounted to the underside of the catwalks) do not provide

adequate coverage for the balconies.

Observations

Generally speaking, the auditorium is showing its age. The original design of the stage

and theatrical systems is outmoded and insufficient to support the production needs

expected in K‐12 educational facilities today.

Stage

The stage was originally

designed to allow flexible

stage/audience relationships.

Given this design, there is no

permanent, structural stage.

Platforms were intended to be

used to create different

configurations. (See drawings

at end of report.) There is a

hard cyclorama 9’‐0” from the

rear wall of the auditorium.

The space between the

cyclorama and back wall is

used for storage.



Seating

The audience area has a

maximum occupancy of 736,

although seating in the

orchestra section is

demountable and may be

removed to accommodate

different stage configurations.

The seats were manufactured

by Massey, which has been out

of business for over two

decades.

Stage Lighting System

The stage lighting system

contains (36) 7kW dimmers, (135) 20‐amp circuits, a patch panel (to assign selected

circuits to a specific dimmer) and control console. While state‐of‐the‐art at the time of

installation, it is now over 40 years old and out‐of‐date.

Circuits are primarily distributed along the catwalks and over the stage with a literal

handful of circuits on the stage.

The original lighting control console is located in the control room, but is no longer

used. A more contemporary control console (ETC Express) is used, but as noted earlier,

is reaching the end of its useful life.

The auditorium has a small complement of stage lighting fixtures that were current

when the building was opened, with a small number of more recent vintage.

Stage Rigging System

The rigging system over the stage consists of a dead‐hung pipe grid, a motorized house

curtain and upstage curtain. It was not possible to test the motorized rigging during our

visit.

Sound System

The sound system is used for vocal and instrumental reinforcement. A mixing console

and amplifier are located in the control booth, although as with the lighting control

console, the mixer is often moved into the audience area. Speakers are suspended from

the catwalks. There is no infrastructure of sound outlets (for intercom, line level and



speaker circuits typically installed in a theater.) At present, there is no assisted listening

system.

Acoustics

While a detailed analysis of the

room acoustics of the auditorium

is beyond the scope of this report,

we would like to note areas for

future investigation.

Overall room volume

Ceiling shape and materials

Wall shape and materials

Noise criteria (level of

acceptable background

noise in room)

Safety Issues

There are a number of safety

issues that we recommend be placed at the top of the list of any renovations to the

auditorium.

Catwalks

The existing lighting

catwalks are arranged

appropriately to light the

various stage

configurations. The intent

of a lighting catwalk is to

provide easy access to the

stage lighting fixtures

allowing them to be

focused, gelled and

maintained safely. The

construction of the existing catwalks, however, defeats this purpose as the railings are

spaced to closely together to permit a stage lighting fixture to be hung. Instead, pipes

have been installed outboard of the catwalks and the lights are suspended from them.

They are not safely accessible from the catwalks and must be accessed from below.

Currently there are no work lights over the catwalks.



Stage Platforms

The existing stage platforms are not sturdily fabricated and one can feel them shift

when walking across the stage. This is a potential tripping hazard.

Recommendations

As noted earlier in this report, the theatrical systems are outdated, with decades of

wear‐and‐tear, and are beyond any intermediate fixes. We recommend that the existing

lighting and sound systems be removed and replaced with current state‐of‐the‐art

equipment, including:

Stage Lighting

Removed existing patch panel, dimmers and control

Install new dimmer racks to accommodate (136) new dimmer wired to the existing

circuits

Install new data wiring (DMX) and outlets

Purchase (136) new stage lighting fixtures

Lighting accessories (gels, barn doors, template holders, sash cord, side‐arms,

extension cables, etc.)

Provide fluorescent work lights above the stage

Provide fluorescent work lights above the catwalks

Stage Rigging

Repair/replace motorized rigging as may be required

Clean and repair stage draperies

Repair/replace projection screen

Sound System

Remove existing mixing console and amplifier

Install digital audio playback and processing equipment in control room

Install wire infrastructure to stage and audience are for: sound reinforcement,

intercom, monitor/page and assisted listening

Relocate speakers as required to provide appropriate coverage for all areas

Assisted listening system

Monitor microphone and monitor camera

Program monitors backstage

Miscellaneous equipment (microphones, cables, stands, etc.)



Audio‐Visual

Add digital projector suspended from catwalks and controlled from control room

Seating

Install new seating or repaint/repair existing seats

Architectural

Provide permanent concrete slab stage with resilient wood finished floor

Provide wheelchair access between audience area and stage

Provide wheelchair access to front of orchestra seating area

Paint audience area walls

Paint or stain concrete floor

Repair or replace audience area carpeting

Create permanent control position in the cross‐aisle for lighting and sound

ADA Notes

In a new facility, ADA and ADAG requires wheelchair access to all portions of the

seating area as well as from the seating area to the stage. The number of wheelchair

spaces are proportional to the seat count. These requirements state, in part:

Wheelchair locations, with companion seats, are required for all places of public assembly. Wheelchair locations must be distributed among all seating areas, unless the seat count is less than 300.

Wheelchair circulation from the auditorium onto the stage must be provided. Circulation paths for persons with disabilities cannot be segregated from those for able‐bodied persons.

At present the HK17 auditorium does not meet all of these requirements, but for a

renovation, fulfillment of these requirements is determined on a more ad hoc basis. If the

balcony/class‐room spaces are not considered part of the “place of assembly”, and the

seat count in the orchestra is reduced, it will preclude the necessity of providing

dedicated wheelchair locations distributed throughout the seating areas.

Circulation between the audience area and the stage exists, but it does not meet the

letter of the ADA. Given that this is a renovation, an allowance might be made by the

authorities having jurisdiction. However, as the school district wished to honor the

spirit of the ADA, alternate circulation routes should be studied.

Estimated Budget

The estimated budget is not a line‐item estimate, but an order‐of‐magnitude budget

intended to provide an overall range of costs associated with the recommendations of



this report. A more precise pricing will be possible upon a complete design of the

systems and equipment. Final pricing will also depend upon whether they are owner‐

purchased or purchased through a contractor and whether the project is done all at once

or in phases.

Stage Lighting $300,000

Equipment $150,000

Labor 1 $150,000

Rigging System

Allowance2 $10,000 $10,000

Sound System $400,000

Equipment $200,000

Labor1 $200,000

Seating

Refurbish existing4, 5 $147,200

New $220,800

Audio‐Visual $20,000

Equipment $15,000

Labor $5,000

Architectural3 $TBD

Materials

Labor

Notes

1. Equipment costs multiplied by 2 as place‐holder

2. Labor included

3. Estimation of these costs beyond the scope of report

4. The existing seats are no longer manufactured. Any damage during

refurbishment would result in the loss of that chair

5. The metal portions of the seats can be repainted, but the plastic back cannot.



Conclusion

The HK17 HS auditorium was designed as a flexible space that would allow a variety of

stage/audience configurations. While this flexibility may have been taken advantage of

after the building’s completion, it is currently used only in a proscenium configuration.

It is an intimate space allowing a close performer/audience relationship, which is

especially valuable for young theatrical performers, musicians and singers. What is

lacking is a 21st century theatrical infrastructure to support the students and their work.

Implementation of any or all of this report’s recommendations will improve the

educational opportunities inherent in the auditorium.

Appendix A – Drawings and illustrations

Base Plan

Proscenium Plan

Thrust Plan

Arena Plan

Wheelchair circulation

hk17 high school auditorium report and recommendations report.pdf · 14jul15 draft theater design...

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