Needs listed in Miller Theater restoration project
1/21/2010
Symphony Orchestra Augusta introduced a trio of Miller Theater restoration consultants to members of the Augusta arts community Wednesday.
The informal, informational meeting dealt not only with issues the consultants said would need to be addressed, but also the concerns of various arts groups.
Robert Long and Kyle Smith of Theatre Consultants Collaborative, LLC, and Mark Holden, an acoustician with JaffeHolden Acoustics, will present a report and estimated cost to the SOA board in about three months. They have already started compiling a list of likely issues.
"Right now this is just a study," Long said. "Its purpose is to determine the practicality of getting the Miller up and running."
On the experts' list of issues is seating, which they think will reduce the auditorium's original 1,800 to about 1,200 for comfort and acoustics. Other concerns are meeting Americans with Disabilities Act regulations, acoustics and the stage. Long said the stage, which is approximately 20 feet deep, is inadequate.
"It's just not enough to stage a symphony," he said. "It's not enough for dance. It's not enough for musical theater or opera. It just isn't enough."
Because the Miller was built as a movie theater, it was designed acoustically contrary to the needs of a symphony, Holden said. The remnants of acoustic baffling that still cling to the theater walls testify to that.
To see the rest of the article: http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/2010/01/21/met_564049.shtml
