Performing Arts Center

[Neckfansince71]

So now we have the whole ball of wax. CPA on the WAY! OWP/P Cannon Design, Inc. jc

jc

[sealhall74]

When I see the bulldozer on the premises, I will believe it actually will happen. Architectural firms produce paper. Been there, done that.

[ST_Lawson]

Have they removed the main theater from the specifications? Everything I've seen in the last day just say "...the center will include a 300 seat theater, 150 seat studio center, and performance support spaces".
I have to imagine that they just aren't mentioning the main theater because if the largest one in there is only 300 seats, that makes it smaller than the Hainline Theatre (Browne Hall) and the COFAC Recital Hall.

Back in 2014, I put together a post listing the capacity of our theatre spaces on campus as well as listing the main theatre spaces in some of the other schools in Illinois: https://www.leathernecknation.net/forum ... p=218#p218

EDIT - looks like the press release was updated: http://www.wiu.edu/news/newsrelease.php ... e_id=17828
Now says "will include an approximately 900-seat proscenium theatre and a 150-seat flexible studio theatre."

So, from the original plans of a 1400-main theatre, 250-seat thrust theatre, and a 150-seat studio theatre, they've removed the thrust theatre and downscaled the 1400-seat theatre to 900 seats.

[Tere North]

So, from the original plans of a 1400-main theatre, 250-seat thrust theatre, and a 150-seat studio theatre, they've removed the thrust theatre and downscaled the 1400-seat theatre to 900 seats.

It clearly will not be a major entertainment venue at just 900 seats. To afford any acts of significance the seats would cost a fortune. Hopefully this will at least allow some stage type performances. And hopefully it will be used more than occasionally.

[ST_Lawson]

It clearly will not be a major entertainment venue at just 900 seats. To afford any acts of significance the seats would cost a fortune. Hopefully this will at least allow some stage type performances. And hopefully it will be used more than occasionally.

I imagine we'll probably be able to get the kinds of acts that we used to get years ago at Western Hall. From what I heard, the reason that a lot of productions didn't want to come to Western was because they didn't want to deal with a temporary stage setup and dressing rooms that were repurposed athletics locker rooms. When I was growing up, my parents took me to a lot of performances that were a part of BCA...a lot of touring versions of "big time" musicals and other shows (42nd Street, Into the Woods, Madame Butterfly, City of Angels, Blast!, etc.)...and I don't remember any that would have had an attendance of over ~1,000 outside of a few of the really big ones (Cats, Ray Charles, Bill Cosby...before all the bad stuff was known).

900 is a bit smaller than I was hoping for, but looking at other schools, it's pretty decent.
EIU has the Doudna Fine Arts Center which has a 600 seat concert hall and a 300 seat theater.
SIU has the McLeod Theater, which has 521 seats.
NIU has the Boutell Concert Hall (900 seats) and the O'Connell Theatre (440 seats)
Governors State has their Center for Performing Arts (1171 seats) which is a little larger than what we're supposed to be getting.
SIUE has the Dunham Hall Theatre (380 seats)

Most of the schools also use their basketball arena as an event space for larger concerts and stuff, which we obviously could still do at Western Hall, but those kinds of spaces are not well suited for a stage-type production.

So, for actual theaters, it would be larger than the ones at most of the state universities besides U of I and ISU.

If anyone wants to see what a theater of roughly that size looks like:
Here's GSU's Center for Performing Arts theater: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BU7gDHlmxU
U of I has the Tryon Festival Theatre (located within the Krannert Center) that holds 979 and looks like this (the right side of photo): https://uiaa.org/wp-content/uploads/201 ... nnert3.jpg and this: https://chbe.illinois.edu/wp-content/up ... 00x801.jpg

Like I said, I'd have loved to see them do the original plans (1400 seat main hall and 2 smaller theaters), but I think 900 is ok and it'll be huge both for our fine arts programs and for being able to bring in more touring productions.

[wiu712]

Sangamon Auditorium at UIS has 2,018 seats. Their Performing Arts Center also includes a smaller Studio Theatre in the lower level.
https://www.enjoyillinois.com/explore/l ... pringfield

[ST_Lawson]

Sangamon Auditorium at UIS has 2,018 seats. Their Performing Arts Center also includes a smaller Studio Theatre in the lower level.
https://www.enjoyillinois.com/explore/l ... pringfield

True, although it's essentially the only big theater in the Springfield area, so I think it's justified. I don't know what the funding situation was at the time it was built either. UIS at the time (1981) was Sangamon State and was separate from the U of I system. Springfield also has the Hoogland Center for the Arts, but that looks to be only around 200 or so seats. EDIT - I was wrong...more like 450 seats.

[wiu712]

The Hoogland Center for the Arts in Springfield was formerly the Masonic Temple.

It is a 3 story building in downtown Springfield. It has 3 theatres and 5 smaller performance venues.

The auditorium pictured in the above link is the largest one in the building. It has 450 seats

[Western_101]

Ummmmm can we spend those millions on a football stadium?


No, none, zero, national touring act is coming to a 900 seat venue.

For Christ's sake this State bungles and misappropriates billions on a regular basis they just can't live with themselves unless they have a hand in diminishing something to the point that it actually becomes a waste of money.

I know! why don't we give them less than we agreed but still something......right they should be happy?


On a related but different note, what venues/capacities are in Quincy or Burlington? This is a nice way to waste tax payer money give 'em a really expensive venue that they can only marginally utilize.....that is the State of Illinois in a microcosm.

[Western_101]

Terre was right!

If it costs me $120 to go to Jersey Boys in Peoria, it would have to cost at least $240 to go to that show in Macomb (actually more,.... shows like Jersey Boys and Wicked sell out Peoria's 2,200 seat theater
).