# Just got back from the new Dallas Performing Arts Center



## Esoteric (Oct 29, 2009)

Hey guys, just got back from the opening of the new theater here in Dallas (the new home of Dallas Theater Center).

First off, the space is AMAZING!!! Totally state of the art, completely modular, it can go from an arena, to a thrust with two balconies, to a traditional proscenium. Hang points everywhere, electrical hang points everywhere. A grid over the house, and electric battens over the stage (when in use). Wonderful space. ETC Sensor Dimmers, all Source4 gear, 300+ instruments, MAC2Ks, on and on. Sound in on a PM5D (in the house THANK THE ALL MIGHTY!!!).

This was a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Magnificent cast (as you would expect it to be, considering this is the premier company in Dallas). Wonderful energy and that is saying a lot, this was like a 2.5 hour track meet. Modern music and dance numbers.

The Direction was wonderful. Perfectly blocked, very playful and they used the WHOLE theater. I mean actors running through the house, talking to the audience members, sitting in seats, etc. Brilliant use of the space. People constantly going up and down ladders, and off and on, using every entrance and exit possible. For Oberon and Puck's punishment they were pelted with nerf guns, stress balls, water guns, and even water cannons (as they run through the audience).

The costumes were great as well. Very bright, very colorful, very modern. Awesome. Not to mention how they helped round out characters and link them together or set them apart. The fairies, The Rude Mechs, the lovers, the king and queen. I could write a dissertation on the costumes. Brilliant.

Sound was acceptable, there wasn't a lot the designers could do sound wise. The mix was good. A couple of the mics were not hidden well at all (I mean messily so), but other than that good job.

The scenic design was VERY different. The whole thing was just a 3 layer thrust, with a small cross upstage from stage left to stage right. With 4 ladders going from the floor to both balconies. It was basically just black speckled with gray paint. Very plain. Until the actors come out. They begin and spend the whole first act drawing on the set with chalk. Storm clouds (when people are mad), stars and crowns (for the fairies), moons (for night and sleep), and just many patterns. The stage gradually fills up and fills in. At intermission, the crowd gets chalk and the opportunity to fill in the set even more. The actors invite people up and even coming out of the intermission sing to the people they select (one of the high school students in the show was singing to her boyfriend tonight I think). Also at intermission shapes made out of flex neon are revealed. This is the only problem of the design I had a problem with. There were only a few designs and they looked half hazard and half butted. Just kind of thrown in. Finally for the wedding celebration the back wall (with all the chalk writing) flys out and all the other places are covered with a bright yellow background with red, blue, green, and purple stars, moons, hearts and people on it with a large (15' tall) heart in the middle of the background.

But then there was the lighting... Admittedly the LD was messed up a little (because the action takes place everywhere on the stage, in the house, in the balconies, everywhere), and I am all for simplicity, there were only about 4 cues in the show, but all the cues were a little too large. There was no isolation, no transition, just lots of light everywhere. There were some nice cues, some good looks (particularly for the wedding at the end, the whole ending including Pucks speech, and the night scenes which were done with red star patterns). But the main look for the "forest" (which was transplanted to an urban setting) was really, really bright, with no sculpting, nothing. It seemed that he was a little in over his head with that look, it was just boring (and it was up for 70% of the time). The lighting design really let the production down I think. No color, no sculpting, nothing. And it wasn't like it was terrible on purpose (as in wow, that is awesome it looks terrible!!) but just bad. Plus it seemed like a waste of some material, with color scrollers used for units that never changed color and moving lights that were used for specials that never move. It did not look like a 455 unit plot (which the program said it was).

After the production, the backdrop flies out and the party starts. The audience is invited on to the stage to sing and dance and have a bit of an after party to open the space. A great idea.

Overall a wonderful production at a wonderful new facility, which combined with the new Winspear Opera House will give Dallas an arts district that rivals Lincon Center.

Man I want a crack at that space (if only I had my USA membership).

Mike


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## jmabray (Oct 29, 2009)

Can I correct some items in your post? 

I have worked in the space and know some things you might not have seen.

First up - it's not an ETC system. Yes, DTC is using an ION to control the lighting in the Wyly theatre, but it's actually a Strand based system. The house console is actually a Strand console - A pallette VL I think. DTC's people bought an ION a year or so ago to replace and Obsession 1 in the Kalita Humphries Theatre and are using it in the new space because they like it better. I have designed a show in that space - way back in June before it officially opened, and can tell you lots about it. However, since the space was not officially completed when I worked in it, I'm not going to comment since I didn't get full use of the full system. 

Having seen the show file for this show I can promise you there were more than 4 cues. I haven't seen the full show, so Im not going to critique the design, but to each his own....

You don't need a USA membership to work in that house - it's completely non-union. If you want to do some overhire on the lighting crew, send me a PM and I can send you the contact info for the people who would be able to get you in the door. You will need an IATSE card to work backstage in the Winspear though - that is a union house.

The Winspear does have an ETC based system however, and we can talk more about that one if you would like....


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## Esoteric (Oct 29, 2009)

I stand corrected! I saw the Ion and assumed it was the house console. Do they use Strand dimmers as well (the dimmers were not on the tour and I assumed with an Ion and all the Source4's that they would use Sensor dimmers)? Who did the lighting/sound install?

I am sure there are more than 4 cues. I was commenting more on the fact that there were 4 basic looks and about a dozen special looks. More that there was very little subtlty and that the harshness of the most used look was painful on the eyes. It wasn't ugly in a meant to be ugly way, it was just plain hard to look at. Then when you add that there were at least 4 units with scrollers that never changed color, and 16 units with scrollers that used only 1 color until the last 10 minutes of the show, I thought the design was dissappointing. The Vari-Lites being focused on the same spots for 90% of the show (the other 10% I wasn't looking, but I would be willing to bet they were still on the same spots), I mean all this technology, and he could have done the same show with just conventionals and gel (or at least I could have). And I love simple designs (I did A Dolls House in 16 actual cues), but this one was just dissappointing. 

What is the policy on haze in there? This show would have benefitted greatly from it.

I thought you had to be a USA member to design in any LORT theater? That is good news if you don't!

I can't wait to check out the Winspear on New Years Eve. What console do they run there (of course I am seeing a touring show, but I am still curious).

Mike

PS I am so jealous that you got to design there! Having seen the space it is now on my short list of spaces to design in (along with the Humpharies, which I almost got into as a rep designer for a company that rents it now, the Carpenter in Irving, the Eismann in Richardson, and the Watertower).

Thanks for the info!


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## Esoteric (Oct 29, 2009)

By the way, I know the Vari-Lites were leased, but do the MAC2Ks belong to the PAC or DTC?

Mike


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## Darthrob13 (Oct 29, 2009)

House Light system and Dimmers are Strand.

Spent the better part of the last two years getting that together....of course I didn't get to finish it.

R


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## Esoteric (Oct 29, 2009)

Oh really? Which dimmers do they use? Who do you work for Rob or can you say? Do they use SL lights? I saw a lot of Source4 ERS units and PARnels, but I guess those could have belonged to DTC as well and there were some units that I could not see well enough to tell what they were.

I knew it had been in the works for some time. Great space! Although (I hope you don't work for the GC) some of the actual building of the structure looked a little.... Unfinished or rushed.

Mike


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## jmabray (Oct 29, 2009)

They are C21 Racks. Up on the 7th floor, I believe. 

The Winspear is all ETC in the House system. Sensor Dimmers and EOS control console. 

The system at the Wyly and Winspear were both installed by an Electrical Contractor. There was no dealer involved with the lighting. I believe the Rigging in the Wyly was done by Secoa and in the Winspear was done by JR Clancy. (I think these are correct,but I could be wrong.)


The Vari-Lites aren't leased. They are owned by the PAC.

Don't know that there is any policy prohibiting haze.


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## Esoteric (Oct 29, 2009)

Oh! I figured (getting myself in trouble figuring today) that with the thanks in the program, they were leased.

No dealer eh? Did they bring in a consultant?

Mike


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## Esoteric (Oct 29, 2009)

I also wonder why Strand in the Wylie and ETC in the Winspear?

Mike


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## rschwimmer (Oct 29, 2009)

Wyly Theater is STRAND!

Fixtures are ETC and that is all.

6-C21 racks

Don't know the count of Contact relay panels, but there are a bunch.

3-15" Vision.net touch screens

Multiple 7" touch screens

Multiple Vision.net push button stations

1-Strand LightPalette Live
1-Strand Preset Palette

This is a huge job. Patrick Henry here did all the Vision.net programming for the job, and I trained everyone on the Palette side.

If you have questions about the gear, let me know!!


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## Esoteric (Oct 29, 2009)

Well it is an awesome space! You guys did a great job outfitting it from the looks of it (of course I don't have to use the system day in and day out, but it looks like an awesome system).

So as I understood it the whole thing as far as building/design/etc was under one set of visionaries (for lack of a better term). But the more I learn the more it seems that each theater was under different guidence.

Very interesting all in all and seemed like a lot of gear for that size space. But I would rather have too much than not enough.

What circuit boxes did they use? Are the permanently installed or can they be moved? With the space setup I would imagine they would have to be moveable. If they are are they hardwired or is it SOCO coming from the C21's?

Mike


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## rschwimmer (Oct 29, 2009)

Esoteric said:


> Well it is an awesome space! You guys did a great job outfitting it from the looks of it (of course I don't have to use the system day in and day out, but it looks like an awesome system).
> 
> So as I understood it the whole thing as far as building/design/etc was under one set of visionaries (for lack of a better term). But the more I learn the more it seems that each theater was under different guidence.
> 
> ...


 
The C21's are on the 5th floor. All running hard wire to all the fixtures in the performance center. The C21's are also controlling all the other dimming throughout the building, except for one space that is controlled by 2-A21 Racks.

I am not 100% sure on the how they have the out's for the stage dimming. I just know that the stuff in the catwalk/ceiling is dropped from the C21's.

Patrick Henry has spent NUMEROUS days there getting everything to work together the way it should. And I know that plenty of time went into the pre-planning before the gear even shipped out.


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## Esoteric (Oct 29, 2009)

Well congrats to you guys! It looks like a great space to work in.

Mike


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## jmabray (Oct 29, 2009)

Both of the theatres down there were designed by different architects, but by the same theatrical consultant. Why one went with one manufacturer and the other another is a discussion for another place. The Theatrical consultant was Theatre Projects.


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## rschwimmer (Oct 29, 2009)

jmabray said:


> Both of the theatres down there were designed by different architects, but by the same theatrical consultant. *Why one went with one manufacturer and the other another is a discussion for another place*. The Theatrical consultant was Theatre Projects.


 

Could not agree with you more!!!


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## Esoteric (Oct 29, 2009)

That is a discussion I would love to hear. I got to hear a great conversation by the guys at EV on why the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium went with EV over Meyer. Absolutely fascinating.

At any rate, I am amazed by the space and after following the debacle that is the Long Center, I was glad that Dallas really came together to get this right.

Mike


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## rschwimmer (Oct 29, 2009)

Esoteric said:


> That is a discussion I would love to hear. I got to hear a great conversation by the guys at EV on why the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium went with EV over Meyer. Absolutely fascinating.
> 
> At any rate, I am amazed by the space and after following the debacle that is the Long Center, I was glad that Dallas really came together to get this right.
> 
> Mike


 

FYI, Cowboys Stadium Miller Lite area is also Strand/Vari*Lite/Color Kinetics. I programed all the lighting in that area as well. All controlled by a rack palette triggered by a Vision.net touch screen. Programmed with a Palette VL16, loaded onto the Rack Palette. They also have a Hog 3 that controls the two Barco screens that are on either side of the area doing Miller Lite branding. The Hog also can take control of the system whenever there is a TD or INT or something fun like that.

Cool system.


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## jmabray (Oct 29, 2009)

Yeah, but the entire rest of the building is ETC. ;-)

He's right though. The Miller Lite Plaza is a very cool space and lots of stuff going on over there. I wish I knew you were over there, Randy, I would have come by and said Hi at one of the many points in time when I was out there....


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## Esoteric (Oct 29, 2009)

Okay I am in awe of you guys. Can I assist you sometime please, please, please??? Hahahaha..

Mike


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## rschwimmer (Oct 30, 2009)

jmabray said:


> Yeah, but the entire rest of the building is ETC. ;-)
> 
> He's right though. The Miller Lite Plaza is a very cool space and lots of stuff going on over there. I wish I knew you were over there, Randy, I would have come by and said Hi at one of the many points in time when I was out there....


 

That is a bummer. We will have to meet sometime for sure. I will probably be out there again sometime soon.

I am about to change over to be a Project Manager for Strand here in a couple of weeks. I am pretty excited about that. But I will still be around for questions, and help with anything.


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## jmabray (Oct 30, 2009)

Send me a PM next time you go. I am out there pretty regularly.... Changes upon changes upon changes....


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