Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Aug. 31, 1971, edition 1 / Page 37
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JBailr Tar Meet Feature f I if I 1 4 t I Section Tuesday, August 31,1971 D i I ?H t : t . i ! h f r IS a n ., . . 7 v ' V i s! I i, v' rMMtte 1& v ' MI at1 it v v i v itit? . Hi i' i! 1 h tVr ! v' 1 M n !ii flin iM $mo t, ,1; : ir,. pm v v - M UbMHl ljm ml An artist's proposal for the future Playmaker's-Dramatic Arts Theatre as executed by Charlotte architects A.G. Odell, Jr., and Associates. initial Oraiiia Center Blaiis niifolc by Bruce Mann Assist jut l;mi- FJiL What is involved in building l'Nt"s new Dunuiic An. Thejtie Tremendousl complex procedures eer arduous but fjcmating step ot" the way. according to Dr. Arthur Housnun. the highly motivated, adventuresome new chairman of the Dramatic Arts Department complexities such as a vision ot" overall department needs. Advisory Budget Commission and state legislative approval, money, realization ot" the extraordinarily complicated problems inherent in the project, tenderly balanced teamwork in planning and construction of the theatre, and strong, thorough support by students, facultv. community citizens, and others to help realize the extreme potential thai the new theatre offers to the dramatic arts at UNC in Chapel Hill. Dr. Housman, thanks to the legislature's Jul approval of the necessary S2.225.000 funds for the project, has been able to initiate the first planning stages already, and currently he is reviewing all of the old plans, space bv space, as well as discussing new ideas in prepatation for the major planning of the fail semester. Aside from this specific planning, though. Dr. Housman explains, in his characteristically artistic but busmess-hke speech unadorned with cliches, that his planning for the building must reallv start with general considerations of the Dramatic Arts Department's needs and functions. "We begin, not with the building, but we begin with the idea that it is the function of a depaitment. like UNC's veiv old and tamous one. to continue and expand programs in the training ot theatte and in the production of plav s whiJi are appropriate to both the past and the present. I he building is onlv one facet. The building is the place within which the piogiams manifest themselves." However. Dr. Housman is quick to point out. the bunding is an especiallv important and radiant facet in the program. Outstanding performance piograms in the aits, in ot out of education, unique to the theatre art. depend absolutely on the facihtv withm which thev take place. More than in any other field, the architectural strengths 01 limitations of the building will determine the quality of the activnv which will take place within the building. Therefore, a building can either enhance 01 veiv seeie!v limit those activities." Thus, the theatie building's unique mj,e program requites that everv pn of the theati resultant theatre maximallv aids peitoimanvC. pre-planning "To give you an idea of I fie complexitv ot this pioceJuie. ou might take a look, just superficially, at the ditfeient kinds of spaces thai have to be' included. You have at least one theatre in the bu.ld.ng and hopelullv two tor production. You have the ver specialized chaiaiei ol om lohln-iovei ai d ,u iclaiorisnp to 'i the dcpai tmenl's peifotmar.ee tup.ctio-i in huimonv . so that the us cutis ki im.tsuallv meticulous the stage. You have a ticket office. You have what is called the artist's fover or the 'green room. which serves a very important function as a combination rehearsal room, gathering space, and preparation space for the actors themselves. "You have your lighting and sound space, your scenic construction and painting spaces, dressing rooms, costume construction and design rooms, and costume storage. You have property and lighting storage rooms, and some administrative office-essentially. the business manager, house manager, and your scenic design and technical director people and staff will be located in the building." What makes the procedure even vastly more complicated, of course, is that "all of this has to work together - that is. your ancillary spaces and your mam spj.es have to be very closely interrelated, both functionally, and aesthetically. Or al; ti e spaces that 1 mentioned their interrelationship is as important as their mdivi da a! construction. "For example, a very simple illustration: our costume space normally has to be on the same level as the stages and that makes a problem, because the costume room's relationship to the dressing rooms and the relationship of the dressing rooms to the stages and the stages' relationship to the shop where tilings are made ar.d probably storage areas, is very sophisticated. "If. for example, you have your dressing rooms on one Hour and one of your stages on the third floor and you have Mh century gowns'1 Those girls have go! to walk up two or three flights of stairs - and you've got a problem. So you've got to think about the problem in advance and solve it before you ever build '.lie spj.e. That's one illustration. "And that's what makes this all a very difficult problem. It's not purely a matter of the style of the lobby that one considers, or the style of the inside of the house that one considers, or the sty !e ot the costume room that one considers, or the sty L of the exterior facade of the building - it is Jl integrated. It -s imposs.b'e to consider the building in less than an integrated way." Though all the problems are a network of possible flaws. Dr. Housman unequivocally states: "We have the mechanism for solving the problem in a practical way which emerges to be ideal." Dr. Housman's mechanism is lite utilization of a balanced three-man team in the the planning and construction of the theatre: a "user" (Dr. Housman in consultation with key staff members of the Department!, an urJiited. and a specialist-consultant. The consultant will offer Dr. Housman and the a'clnte.t various alternatives and ideas during the planning nd basic construction. As the representative of the "user." Dr. Housman will present to his wonsuitan.t and architect his basic performance need, which is basically that the tuture theatre must be capable of competently handling virtually J! theatrical events. "A university theatre is obligated, in my judgment, to present a very bioad spectium of kinds of plays. You have lo have your classic plays, you; great, great plays from the golden ages of the theatre, which require a certain kmd o! a spj.e ,v which they are prt.'da.ed. wh,- s ,; v-.-r. . ' r. y . . w I'll the prosceni irn trarn.e and are -r: n . . ' : ' takes place. It dtes:;'; w . - k Verv .sei. r : nt ' . .'r course. ur f.hZc.than p;A ..' 1 P:- - ' ' on a thrust-ty pe ot stjge. "What I'm suV ;ng Is that in t a pa.es. : i' .-.e''e '. have to have the flexibil.ty wh..:i W:i- a I ' . pn. . ' ' e theatre." It's a lull rder for the arJntec ? .-.J . .:- r.-i '. ' m-jst ul-vi c.)t:sider pi' ble-n.s . ; :i.-r - '' :'1 ' refationship o: the theatre's -rd .f: ' n p . ' . time keep w ithr the ' ad.-.-t 'A- r :V I .-. '.: . .. ; hear, it's c-.A ! t-c .:: t -rtu .1 e ' - ... nii.-i tadors whidi dues r.,.t h..;e a high l.-.ei .n.poJ. . J . t urdlitect has lu de-igi the ..v 'f,t pe. r : - f : ' in tront of thtm. n.-. ar j!e t!ut -re b-i.e:. .h h. pr.-iUct.'.', 1 : pr -i :-'- i . k.'.J t1 -c'..-Ust vinr M.ea O J. I..- ' appropriate ac : !:.J r.tegn'y f r e:-',er n. . latter pred-.mir.uHtm,: w!-h a rrur.irr.urr. -J; (ie .gr-p'UcJ!;. . "o.. h.ve t - th.nk J r t 'c!: . ' a'a! j ee ! .ji . s . . . v.... I J pr.-K.bly Hj,' j j hj,;j.- g ( any .-thcr H olj-n:. b.4t : n..gnt d.::.r r-.p ft.- i ' I'r . sjrro and;::C ar; i.j . o . e -s ;-. - vj shiw!i has a . :he i a -1 J . the :;. - j' i . S". i'i mv le f.o ; !h-! wheiher it :'i the ritemp -rarv verna.uLr or whether it ten j -jr J deal (e -rg!j:i. it . j.ii i, rep j tu 1 1 i'i internalr 't.aiiy J c r e with a h t c h t ! . e jadgtnent. ihere is a very pe.iJ .t.eJ a I til. A' j ifis c !. ( x .: ivers.ty S- . A: d I d '.n"! y. :p e I)- : i v r '') more n.'ere-ted in whut eXc.!: in exci'eme::! tor the sjke ex.i: w .1; c- -nitn.-je t be appr- .pr;a : : ' . . re .. I At i ccUi and can ixcUf. :.:.!. bat rather those kinds of i ,i :u'.o:;anv d.stu ?aished
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Aug. 31, 1971, edition 1
37
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