# New Theater Recommendations?



## MrDoItAll (Feb 18, 2009)

So my dream has come true, and we are building a new theater. We are in the planning stages right now, and my superintendent wants a list of recommendations. I have been working out of the loop for a long time...an auditeria <sigh>, so I don't even know where to begin. 

It appears that we are looking at a house size of about 500-600 (though I am not sure of that). No balcony. Your generic high school new construction. It will have to be multipurpose for theater productions, choir/band/orchestra concerts, community groups, etc. I am sure if I don't fight well, I'll get screwed in the process. I want to know everything. 

What do you have that you can't live without?
What do you really wish you would have done?
What mistakes can you help me avoid?
What was a huge waste of time and money?
What questions should I be asking myself that I haven't thought of?

And specifics... How much electricity? What kind of boards (sound and light)? How many dimmers? Fly system: yes or no. How much storage space? What kind of seats? 

I am just a little overwhelmed. 

Help!


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## Footer (Feb 18, 2009)

First things first, do a search, we have a lot of info on this subject. It has not come up lately, but when Gafftaper was building his new space we all walked through everything together. I'll bite off one question.


MrDoItAll said:


> Fly system: yes or no.



It depends. Is there always going to be a full time TD around? Will the space be able to be secured, or will classes be happening onstage?

The "new building" plans are somewhat in the works at my school. We are looking at 5 years at least however. I have already said that I will not put in a counterweight fly system. I do want a system though and I will be pushing heavily for winches. Yes, it will cost more, but then again I don't worry as much.

The HS I went to had a fly system and I learned a lot from it. That being said though, I do not feel comfortable flying large scenic pieces with students around. They are fine once you get them up in the air, but asking a 10 students to handle 2 bull lines with an 750# piece on the ground is not a fun thing to do. I trust them to operate the system and throw weight, but I do not trust them to get stuff off the ground. 

So, that being said, I would push heavily for a winch operated system, either a Vortek or a JR Clancy rig. If you call these companies, they will be out there in a second with every safety figure to let your administrators know why the extra expense is worth it.

Vortek ? Automated Stage Rigging Systems, Hoists and Controls for Theaters, Auditoriums and Arenas.
Theatre & Stage Equipment Products - PowerLift Automated Hoists


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## Van (Feb 18, 2009)

Take a deep breath and don't be overwhelmed. You should have a warm fuzzy feeling, you're getting a new facility! This is a happy, Joyous time!
Ok it'll be a PITA too, but you should be Joyous and happy for a bit first. 
Number one, use that search button, if you haven't already, there are a ton of threads on this subject, as a matter of fact one of the reasons Gafftaper signed up in the first place was the he was in a situation exactly like yours. < he may prove to be an invaluable resource for you as he has gone through this same process inside an educational institution.> 
Second, Dream a little! Make a list of what you like to have and what you think you need. 
Third, don't worry that you'll have any say in the matter of what you wind up with when all is said and done. You district is going to choose an Architectural firm. They'll have a "Theatrical Consultant" on retainer, who will at least have a clue as to what a Theatre looks like and some inkling of what it's used for if not how. You can make requests, require certain elements, but at the end of the day the Archi's and the contractors, and the funding gurus are the ones that are going to get the final say as to what gets installed. 
Check through some of the threads here on the subject, you get a good heads start on a lot of issues that may crop up later that way. 
Congrats on the new facility, and be sure to keep us informed as the process moves along.


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## MrDoItAll (Feb 18, 2009)

Thanks both of you. I've been digging around for a few weeks here (and decided to join just recently). Maybe I haven't yet mastered the search functions, because I hadn't run across much in this vein. After digging more (and looking at Gafftaper's posts), I found some. I'll keep on digging. Surely I'm just looking for the wrong thing.

Luckily, the community is looking at this auditorium as a trophy for the area, and it seems that they want to do it right. But, as many have said, budget will have the final word. I am indeed excited. Terrified and excited.


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## themuzicman (Feb 18, 2009)

We didn't have a fly system in high school, and I feel that helped us a bit, though I wish the ceiling were higher, or we had the opportunity to run basic hemp lines in a safe manner.

the biggest thing I think you need is speaker access. In my high school the speakers were inaccessible, so when they broke, we really couldn't get to them, and they stayed broken. Make sure you have places to hang speakers, and areas to run lines through.


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## hsaunier (Feb 18, 2009)

Call me. We just completed a High school / Middle school with a $10mil auditorium.


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## ishboo (Feb 18, 2009)

One thing I'd be careful of is who specs out your lighting and sound systems. I'm not sure exactly how it worked out with our new theatre that was built last year but the school accepted bids on someone who would put together the lighting, sound, etc. systems of the new venue. The school then accepted the lowest bid not knowing anything about this and we got some guy who either doesn't know a whole lot about lighting and sound or just gave us the cheapest stuff so he could get his paycheck. (I would put my money on the latter) Either way we ended up with an atrocious lighting system. Bottom of the line lightboard of which I couldn't even begin to list off the problems we've had with it. Along with that we got a bunch of unreliable dimmers and with all that, awful customer service that recommends we open up the light board and jostle cables when it is broken. The bottom line is double check these kind of recommendations and make sure you are getting reliable technology so you don't end up regretting it.


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## themuzicman (Feb 18, 2009)

ishboo said:


> Either way we ended up with an atrocious lighting system. Bottom of the line lightboard of which I couldn't even begin to list off the problems we've had with it. Along with that we got a bunch of unreliable dimmers and with all that, awful customer service that recommends we open up the light board and jostle cables when it is broken.



Take Heed of this warning.

We had the same thing happen, and we ended up with a Horizon Lighting Console (free, discontinued, computerized board system) in our main theatre, a 25 channel lighttronics board in our blackbox, and dimmers we can't find anywhere (thrown in a closet we can't find somewhere?!), add to that the fact that the dimmers are unreliable as anything, and have terrible problems with phantom current.

Our sound system had some decent money put in to it, but had terrible execution. The speakers were inaccessible (blame it on the architect), and the wires were too long, and too high of a gauge so we had terrible drain on quality, and the wiring was terrible.

In the end - make sure you know what you are getting for the money, look over the purchase orders and bids. Do your homework, have fun.


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## Van (Feb 18, 2009)

ishboo said:


> One thing I'd be careful of is who specs out your lighting and sound systems. I'm not sure exactly how it worked out with our new theatre that was built last year but the school accepted bids on someone who would put together the lighting, sound, etc. systems of the new venue. The school then accepted the lowest bid not knowing anything about this and we got some guy who either doesn't know a whole lot about lighting and sound or just gave us the cheapest stuff so he could get his paycheck. (I would put my money on the latter) Either way we ended up with an atrocious lighting system. Bottom of the line lightboard of which I couldn't even begin to list off the problems we've had with it. Along with that we got a bunch of unreliable dimmers and with all that, awful customer service that recommends we open up the light board and jostle cables when it is broken. The bottom line is double check these kind of recommendations and make sure you are getting reliable technology so you don't end up regretting it.


 
The above will wind up being one of your biggest headaches. The facility you wind up with is only as good as the budget you have, the Architects, and the Theatre Consultant. 
No matter what you ask everyone is going to have a particular area which they will tell you is THE MOST IMPORTANT. When all is said and done, what matters the absolute most is that you have a facility which works for everyone involved, and hopefully inconveniences everyone the same amount. There is no way around "the lowest Bidder" debacle, that is the way government institution are run. The School and the General Contractor are obligated to go with the lowest bid, that is the law in most States. The biggest, most crucial part of the process is writing up the actual "Specifications for Bid" or the peice of paper that goes out to the contractors that tells them what they are going to be offering to work on or supply. If my specs said ; " Contractor to supply 20 lekos, 10 fresnels,12 parcans, 24 1.2k dimmers, a control board with a minimum of 12 channels of control." 
then a contractor could deliver 20 360q's , 10 6k hmi Fresnels, 12 par 36's and 2 old EDI racks with an analog controller.
"Everyone would scream But that's not what I wanted!" to which the contractor could respond, " that's what you spec'd" 
and he'd be right. 
Typically during the spec's process you are not allowed to single out a particular manufacturer, you can't say, "24 ETC Source4's" you can however say, " 24 Ellipsoidal lighting units with; a rotating barrel, dichroicly coated reflector with the following properties....."
you get my drift. You can tailor you spec's to get what you want. A lot of times a Theatrical consultant wil just use a cookie cutter because they havea good relationship with so and so, or they've always had good luch with such and such. Remember they work for the people paying the bills, If the people paying the bills ask you to lend a hand and oversee the specifications, then you drive the Consultant batty with demands.


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## Footer (Feb 18, 2009)

Van said:


> The above will wind up being one of your biggest headaches. The facility you wind up with is only as good as the budget you have, the Architects, and the Theatre Consultant.
> No matter what you ask everyone is going to have a particular area which they will tell you is THE MOST IMPORTANT. When all is said and done, what matters the absolute most is that you have a facility which works for everyone involved, and hopefully inconveniences everyone the same amount. There is no way around "the lowest Bidder" debacle, that is the way government institution are run. The School and the General Contractor are obligated to go with the lowest bid, that is the law in most States. The biggest, most crucial part of the process is writing up the actual "Specifications for Bid" or the peice of paper that goes out to the contractors that tells them what they are going to be offering to work on or supply. If my specs said ; " Contractor to supply 20 lekos, 10 fresnels,12 parcans, 24 1.2k dimmers, a control board with a minimum of 12 channels of control."
> then a contractor could deliver 20 360q's , 10 6k hmi Fresnels, 12 par 36's and 2 old EDI racks with an analog controller.
> "Everyone would scream But that's not what I wanted!" to which the contractor could respond, " that's what you spec'd"
> ...



Also, most manufactures will have "spec sheets" available. You can usually copy those onto your final spec and that will save you SOME grief. Your going to constantly feel like the entire place should burn to the ground, but in the end you will have something.

This is kind of like a pregnancy. Your happy at first, then it starts getting bigger and bigger, you start buying things, and hope for the best. It will open one day, and you will see how it turns out.


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## rwhealey (Feb 18, 2009)

Put the sound FOH mix position in the house!

Run much, much more conduit than you think you need between the house mix position and the amp rack. We're in a bind where we're out of conduit space and need to run a few more lines.

Make sure everywhere gets data (internet) cabling. 

I say yes to fly system. We have no problems, but we have an auditorium manager position (it's a half-day thing- he teaches classes half the day and does theater stuff the rest) and nothing goes unsupervised.


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## soundlight (Feb 18, 2009)

Elaborating on the above:

If you have the money, have 4 discreet, distributed networks installed. Ports in a few places in the house, stage left and right, the booth, any other control position, and anywhere else where you might want to hook up a console or computer to ethernet. Also down to the dimmer room. These are to be separate from ANY school network infrastructure and will simply be for things like ETCnet (or the ethernet protocol of whatever control systems company you end up with), Cobranet, remote connections to booth computers, etc. If you only have the budget for 2, only get 2, but 4 is really ideal considering the increasing dependence on computers and ethernet in theatrical situations.

Also, have 3" conduit run wherever you think you might need it. This is one thing that you really can't add later unless you tear the place up.


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## sk8rsdad (Feb 18, 2009)

If 'twere me I would find a good theatre architect, and not some architecture firm that thinks they can design a theatre. They can save you a bundle and help direct your money at the things you need, versus the things that somebody might want.

We used Peter Smith when we built the Ron Maslin Playhouse. He designed a performance space we could afford to operate and managed to juggle all the constraints to get us the best space possible within our budget. One example of the kind of savings he found include classifying the stage as a "performance platform" which may sound trivial but saved several hundred thousand dollars since different building code and fire regulations apply (in Ontario anyway) when the auditorium and stage are treated as a single room instead of two.

We still had challenges when the construction bid went to a local architecture firm with more experience in office buildings than theatres, and a few more challenges working with the city and their silly guidelines, but many of the pitfalls were avoided.

Feel free to PM me for more details.


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## DaveySimps (Feb 18, 2009)

I went through this whole process 5 years ago, and am about to go through it again for another group. It can certainly be tedious and overwhelming. A lot of good info has been given so far. The more specific you can be about the bidding specs that go out, the fewer surprises you will get. The most helpful advice I can give to someone who has not done this before, is to sit down and make a list of your must haves and your ultimate goals / uses for the facility. Any good architect and consultant will be able to work with you and your committee to achieve those goals. Arrange tours of facilities that you enjoy or think produce quality productions and see what they have, or what they recommend. Most people are happy to show off what they have and talk shop with you. The budget is always your worst enemy. I have bidding specs and all sort of documents and info I saved from our process. Please feel free to PM me if you have any questions or would like to see how we dealt with things. Our facility is 636 seats, with a fly system, 45,000 sq. ft. facility, and was done with a $10M Bond Issue, just so you get an idea of the scale of our project. I strongly caution against saying you can just buy certain fixtures and equipment "later". Many people begin to move money around and use this as a rationalization, but have no plan in place to fund such purchases down the road. This leaves them empty handed.

~Dave


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## jwl868 (Feb 18, 2009)

Along the theme of the last couple posts, it sounds like you still haven't selected an architect/theatre designer. That will require a specification/scope of work, too. (I suspect even those services go to the lowest biddder - you should check into that.) Require that each firm bidding on the design to provide a history of some number of sucessful theatre designs of the general size that you are looking at. Have them submit references and then check them and visit them and talk to the owners. Try to tie this type of technical requirement to the acceptability of the award. Include requirements of the architect to either have the experienced designer(s) on staff, or if the architect has to subcontract that out, then that individual/firm must be identified as part of the design team and must provide the same sample projects and references.


Good Luck


Joe


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## MrDoItAll (Feb 19, 2009)

Thank you everyone for your great input. And keep it coming. I am printing all this out to pass on to the superintendent/ school board who wants to see it done right. The more it doesn't come from me, the better. I will probably be in contact with some of you as the process develops, so thank you for the offers. 

This is all happening faster than I originally thought . They are talking breaking ground this summer already!


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## gafftaper (Feb 19, 2009)

Hello... 

Step One. Hire a theater consultant you can trust. If you leave this up to an architect you will have a disaster. At theater consultant will get you close to the result you want. 

Step Two. Don't trust the theater consultant and watch his every step. He is designing a theater but he doesn't understand the personal touches you want. (I hate the fact that my raceways don't have pigtails... one detail I missed).

Three. You or someone on the ground who knows theater needs to be at every design meeting to make sure that they listen and follow up on your changes. This person needs to be given full access to all drawings and needs to be given some authority to make decisions. It took me 6 months of meetings to get the architect to put in a single door on the drawings. "oh yeah we'll do that too." Is it in the drawings at the next meeting? No.

Four. Research. As part of being that person on the ground and watching the consultant you need to be researching every detail that comes up in design meetings. Researching is what brought me here to CB. There are experts here on everything and we can help you find the answers you need. 

We can help you with details here. Fly or no fly... which console... things like that we love to debate. But get the big picture strategies first. 

Our theater was in design for over a year. You could break ground this summer but you will have a cookie cutter theater that may not meet your needs. 

Fight to get a separate budget for all lighting and sound gear that doesn't require installation. You my pay more than twice the list price if you buy your ellipsoidals through a contractor. Have them install the dimmers, raceways, amplifiers, consoles... etc. However YOU purchase all the instruments, cable, microphones, stands etc... You will save an amazing amount of money. Ask the consultant to put a package into the bid as an alternate. When the bid comes back ask the district to give you 75% of the amount bid as your budget and turn you loose to purchase what you want to equip the space ( They save money and you will have so many toys you don't know what to do with them all). 

Be prepared to be frustrated by the process. It is not friendly and it wants you to turn all decisions over the the architect... who knows nothing about operating a theater. State purchasing laws can be confusing and difficult to navigate. Make friends with the purchasing department. 

It's unlikely that you will be able to purchase what you want from whom you want. You may be forced to specify something like, "All dimmers and control systems must be made by either Strand or ETC". Fight for that level of control at least. You may not be able to actually chose your board but you may be able to specify one or two brands. Again, watch your theater consultant. He is putting all kinds of things in the specs. Ask for regular updates on the specs. 

You wouldn't believe how many hours I spent irritating the purchasing department trying to find a way to specify only S4 instruments. In my case state law required that I find a physically measurable functional difference between it and all other fixtures. I finally determined that I couldn't specify the instrument but I could do the lamp... "all lighting fixtures must use an HPL lamp because it has the highest lumen output and longest life in it's class"... and I had to back that up with charts of lamp life and output. It was insane. Hopefully your state purchasing laws are easier to get along with. 

Good luck and stay in touch here. We are happy to help.


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## dhorn (Feb 19, 2009)

I would like to add my two cents worth to this Thread. I have worked in dozens of facilities with Stages of many sizes and types in my 30 year career as a Crew Head and Lighting Designer. I have come to realize you can never have enough dimmers in a theatre, unless you always rent and have enormous budgets! The trick is to plan for enough dimmers for 80 percent of your productions needs and put in extra Camloc Panels for rented/ borrowed portable dimmer racks. I have put together some good rules of thumb for estimating dimmer quantities/ power requirements over the years for different types of performance spaces. You can PM if you would like to discuss your facility.

Also don't forget to plan for power and control wiring for the Rigging System! Even if you put in a manual counterweight system, it can be upgraded in the future with winch assist or be replaced with any sort of motorized linesets. Put in as much power as possible near the Fly Rail in you build one and/ or power at the Grid level. If you can't afford 200 or 400 amp services at these locations, at least run conduit for future 400amp/ 3-phase services from these locations to the building's Power Service Distribution Frames.

Best of luck with you new facility,
Dave Horn


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## jwl868 (Feb 19, 2009)

While you are putting together your wish list, consider "support" facilities: A storage room for scenery and props and costumes and lights. Tool storage room. Loading dock with rollup doors. Double doors where large things may pass. Dressing rooms (though class rooms usually get pressed into service). Bathrooms nearby for patrons or performers. A green room. Office. Box office. Lobby. 

Another cost item that you may not have any input on is the outdoor finish. There are aesthetics and function considerations that come into play. If the theatre has to match the existing building or if it's on the front side of the property, it'll take cash from what you can do inside.

[Our school district did a major renovation of the auditorium, but as far as I can tell, there is no place to store sets and scenery. The stage is crammed with the stuff and I don't know where the extra stuff goes for performances. (In fairness, the auditorium is in the middle of the school structure, on all sides are hallways and classrooms, and topography wouldn't have allowed expansion anyway.) We've rented other venues where the wings are just crammed with stuff.] 

Joe


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## rwhealey (Feb 20, 2009)

jwl868 said:


> [Our school district did a major renovation of the auditorium, but as far as I can tell, there is no place to store sets and scenery. The stage is crammed with the stuff and I don't know where the extra stuff goes for performances. (In fairness, the auditorium is in the middle of the school structure, on all sides are hallways and classrooms, and topography wouldn't have allowed expansion anyway.) We've rented other venues where the wings are just crammed with stuff.]



We have two small storage rooms and a shop room and we've still got flats and boxes of costumes up against the back wall of the stage.

We just can't seem to win no matter how much we shuffle stuff around. We talked about an addition, but we'd have to match the existing exterior which would push it over the edge as far as cost goes.


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## beachcombah15 (Feb 20, 2009)

SET YOUR PRIORITIES! 

Also, MAKE IT USER FRIENDLY! While also having the possibility for advanced control. *This will help you tremendously when your school districts Board of Education decides to hold their meetings at this spectacular new space. Only problem is during one of these meetings, someone has a powerpoint they want to show, only problem is, they can't figure out how to lower the projection screen, next thing you know you end up with some flying in a cyc in the middle of their desk set up because it kind of looked like a proj. screen.


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## museav (Feb 20, 2009)

MrDoItAll said:


> This is all happening faster than I originally thought . They are talking breaking ground this summer already!


Unless the goal is to issue a separate site package or something like that, then that goal seems a bit ambitious given the requirements usually associated with public bids. They typically have to advertise and bid the Architect and Consultants (either all as one team through the Architect or an Architect and some Consultants directly) and that usually requires a minimum 30 day public bid, then Contract award - and that is if they do not go through a preliminary qualifications round and then a 'shortlist' of 3 or 4 finalists, a very common process. Figure at least 30 days for Contractor bidding, a couple of weeks for Contract award and maybe 2 to 4 weeks for mobilization. So maybe 14-16 weeks plus the time for design. Assuming that "this summer" means by the end of August and it is mid February, that leaves maybe 12 weeks for design from start to finish, including reviews, approvals and coordination. Everybody is really going to have to be on their game for that to happen, something that is usually very difficult when having to have Contracts approved by Boards at monthly meetings, etc. For example, you may have to wait a month or more for anything to actually be on the Board's Agenda for a meeting and discussed, a couple of those and the schedule is really off.

Added: Just to be clear, I'm not saying that it is impossible, just that everyone is going to have to be 'on their game' and that includes the people handling the 'red tape' aspects. Any delays or snags anywhere could make that schedule impractical.

The suggestions to start figuring out your needs and priorities are great. In my experience, the more you can show how things affect the operation of the facility and the education of the students, the more likely to have others listen. You might also want to start researching any political or management issues. I've had school districts that essentially use an existing theatre as standard for all others, they liked it and try to recreate it for any new facilities. I've had other school districts that wouldn't let new facilities be much improved over any existing facilities, they were concerned that the students and parents at other schools would complain if a new school was too much better. I've had school districts resist improvements simply because they had always done it some other way (it was so hard not to ask them if their friends jumped off a bridge, would they follow?). If there are any such barriers to overcome, it is best to find them out as early as possible.


A suggestion, but one of the first things usually done for any construction project is a Program. This is often done by the Architect and is their way of establishing the needs for the building from the size and types of spaces to how they need to relate. However, the Architectural Programs often address specialty trades on a very superficial level, they may note that the theatre needs theatrical lighting or wing space or a sound system, but unless there are all the Consultants involved, it usually does not go into any detail on these issues. You can get ahead of the game by doing your own internal Program. Unless there is a specific reason to do so, don't focus on the equipment specifics but rather on the functionality and general needs. They don't need to know right away which spotlights you want but they do need to know that you need a certain amount of space in certain locations with certain access whether the spots go in initially or not. The idea here is to not get lost in the details that will be worked out in design but instead to make sure the 'big ideas' are identified so they can get into the design process in the first place. For example, if you want a separate amp and/or dimmer room near the stage then identify that, a general location and maybe an approximate size. The exact size and location and the equipment in it can be figured out later but it will be much easier to get the space at all if it is identified up front rather than trying to add it later.


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## mixmaster (Feb 24, 2009)

MrDoItAll said:


> So my dream has come true, and we are building a new theater. We are in the planning stages right now, and my superintendent wants a list of recommendations. I have been working out of the loop for a long time...an auditeria <sigh>, so I don't even know where to begin.
> 
> It appears that we are looking at a house size of about 500-600 (though I am not sure of that). No balcony. Your generic high school new construction. It will have to be multipurpose for theater productions, choir/band/orchestra concerts, community groups, etc. I am sure if I don't fight well, I'll get screwed in the process. I want to know everything.
> 
> ...



By now you've gotten plenty of recomendations for designers, and consultants, and the like. I would second all that has been said, and will try to answer some of your specific questions with ideas to think about. 

Thing's I can't live without:
Power. Amps need it, Dimmers need it, motors need it. All of these need lots of power, and usually don't play well with others. Motors and dimmers can inject lots of noise into the AC feed that will play heck with your sound system. The best circumstance is at least 2 feeds to the building so that all the sound system wiring can be completely separate from lighting/motors/mechanicals, all the way back to the building entrance. Multiple circuits from the sound system power should be located on stage, the booth, the FOH mix position, and the amp racks, and should be distinguished by a different color outlet or something. If this is to be a Road House, some sort of power tie in for the incoming act is also necessary. 
Paperwork. Blueprints are nice but you should definitely have a copy of the final as-builts, and the operator manuals for every piece of equipment remotely connected with the venue, as well as any warranty documentation, from the manufacture or the installer.
Conduit. Lots of it, big sizes. As popular as Cat 5 or 6 network cable and fiber-optics is, eventually a new technology is going to come around and if you don't have the conduit buried, then installing an infrasturcture to support whatever the new technology becomes more expensive than the up front cost of bigger conduits.
Comms. Lots of stations and even more points for beltpacks. Comms in the catwalks let the LD talk to the guys in the cats during a focus without yelling, comms on the fly rail and up on the weight bridge let the flymen and loaders communicate, comms in the dressing rooms or green room give the stage manage the ability to call warning cues to people in the dressing rooms. 

What do I wish would have been done differently? 
A MIX POSITION IN THE HOUSE!!! Both my theaters were designed with booths for sound and lights. You can't hear what you are mixing, and no, booth monitors are not an acceptable substitute. Lighting can go in a booth IF it has a good view of the stage, amps and system processors could go in a booth, but the mixer itself needs to be able to be out in the house. I recently installed a snake to the back wall of our bigger venue with a multipin connector so I can plug in a console in the house for my big shows and mix from the booth for simple gigs, but even that compromise is less than ideal.
I wish we had access to the catwalks from the stage. My high school theater had a ladder in the booth, and a ladder in a closet off stage left. I miss being able to take fixtures from the storage by the stage and run straight up to the cats. Now I have to go from the stage to the lobby, up four flights of stairs to the booth at the top of the balcony, and then a ladder up to the cats.
Infrastructure is key. Most everything I wish would have been done differently could be easily corrected if there was more power, bigger conduits, and better access. Then it's just a matter of keeping up with technology, and that's hard to predict.

Biggest waste of time and money at this stage is not thinking ahead. Second biggest waste of time and money would be analog control equipment. Think digital lightboard, digital soundboard, network everything. Analog is on it's way out, and if you sit down and crunch the numbers you get more bang for the buck with a digital console in the sound booth. Remember, it's a lot easier to bury the extra cost in you original project than try to find the funds for an upgrade later.
The biggest mistake you can avoid right now is going with the low bidder to save money.

Specifics
Electricity
Your whoever helps you design the lighting rig for your space will be able tell you how much power the dimmer racks need. Your speaker system will determine the number of amplifiers you need, most amplifiers will spec how much they draw at peak output, and from there you can figure how much juice you need. Your electrician can help you with the figures based on the final gear that you chose, but don't forget to figure in some extra for safety.
You'll need several circiuts on stage for instruments, from the same source as the rest of the sound system, and several convenience outlets. 

I already mentioned that I would recommend digital boards, and Yamaha is a big name in that area, although not the best. Allen and Heath makes excellent equipment and just introduced a small format digital that is going to give the Yamaha LS9-32 a run for it's money (about time). Soundcraft also has a number of fine offerings both analog and large format digital, but pricey. Other brands that will generally be good include QSC, Crown, JBL, EAW, EV, Shure, Audix , and Sennhieser. I'm not currently enough of a lighting guy to be current on in that world, however I've had several bad experiences with Leprechaun, and several good experiences with EDI and Strand. 
Regardless of the brand, your needs should determine you budget, not the other way around. Otherwise you will end up with cheap gear that can't do anything.

You can't have too much storage space. Just make sure that everything has double doors and locks. Make sure you have a shop, and a workbench with good light and a couple outlets for bench work.

I would lean towards a fly rig of some kind. I'm a fan of a counterweight system WITH A WEIGHT BRIDGE. Winches can be noisy and slow. Most of our fly gear is from Secoa, and has seen several years of neglect (we're trying to correct that) but continues to function well. We've also received good service from them.

FWIW
Matt


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## fredthe (Mar 3, 2009)

One seemingly minor item, that I would recommend putting in any bid document... a requirement to provide ALL necessary configuration software and passwords for any equipment provided. Especially, any dealer configured installation and maintenance passwords should be provided at the end of any warrenty period.

We have a very nice DBX speaker processor that we can't make any changes to because we don't have the password. Which is fine while the system is still under the installation warranty (2 years). But after that, with things as they are we will be forced to pay the original installation company for any changes. Same for our A/V control system... without the passwords, we are locked to one company.

With more things being computer based, it's important to make sure that you won't be locked to the installation company.


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## museav (Mar 3, 2009)

fredthe said:


> One seemingly minor item, that I would recommend putting in any bid document... a requirement to provide ALL necessary configuration software and passwords for any equipment provided. Especially, any dealer configured installation and maintenance passwords should be provided at the end of any warrenty period.
> 
> We have a very nice DBX speaker processor that we can't make any changes to because we don't have the password. Which is fine while the system is still under the installation warranty (2 years). But after that, with things as they are we will be forced to pay the original installation company for any changes. Same for our A/V control system... without the passwords, we are locked to one company.
> 
> With more things being computer based, it's important to make sure that you won't be locked to the installation company.


Too many people have been burned by this. My specs require that the passwords, programming and the software used for programming be provided on CD-R as part of the close-out documents. However, I have a current client who unfortunately accepted the systems and paid the Contractor prior to getting those documents so now their only direct recourse would be to sue the Contractor to get them. So it isn't just putting it in the specs, it is making sure you get the information before releasing the Contract.

The other side to this is the the Contractor can only be responsible for their work. If you make any changes and then the Contractor has to do anything, such as replace a bad DSP device, then they may reload the original programming. They may also load programming they know worked as part of any troubleshooting. Having seen a system suffer catastrophic failure due to an Owner's representative making adjustments to the signal processing, there is also an issue of making any revisions during a system warranty period. Contractors have a legitimate argument that changes made to the processing could negatively impact the system and thus may release them from fully supporting the warranty.

Also, my specifications make it clear that all documentation provided is solely for the use in supporting that system, it should not be reused for other uses. That is the result of a bad experience years ago where a University Client kept wanting updates and fixes to the programming that it turned out arose as a result of their using our programming and design in systems for which we were not even involved.


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