The renovation being done to
the Fine Arts
Theater will
reveal the
original tiling,
which was
covered during
a 1976 renovation.
(Photo/Miranda Stancil)
By Miranda Stancil
ATHENS, GA—The Fine Arts Theater at the University of Georgia is getting a makeover.
The Office of University Architects and the Department of Theater and Film Studies are breathing new life into the historic space with a $3.25 million renovation.
According to David Saltz, associate professor and head of the Department of Theater and Film Studies, the renovation includes restoring the theater’s original architecture, and also modernizing a lot of its existing features.
“This project is a big priority for the University,” said Saltz, who has worked as the department head for five years now. “The Fine Arts Building is one of the most historical buildings on campus, and the renovation will help preserve that past for the University.”
The focus of the first phase of the renovation is on increasing acoustical quality and visibility. In addition, the box office and coat check will be restored and modern, multi-stall bathrooms will be installed downstairs.
Saltz hopes the renovation will attract more theatergoers and with 611 new seats being installed, in addition to the refurbished original ones, it’s possible that audience sizes will increase.
“Many seasoned patrons were unhappy with the performances in the old theater, and I’m hoping this renovation will make their experiences a pleasure in the future,” said Saltz.
Before the renovation, the Fine Arts Theater was not ideal for performances. According to Saltz, the walls and ceiling were bad for acoustics, which forced actors to strain their voices to be heard. Also, the slope of the theater was low enough that it was difficult for audience members sitting in the first 10 rows to see anything below the actors’ knees.
“Actors would be performing their heart out, and doing everything they could to project well,” said Saltz, “but the sound was going everywhere but at the audience.”
During the renovation, the dry wall will be stripped off to reveal the original tiling underneath. According to Saltz, the tiling is much better for acoustics and will be painted to reveal the beauty of the original work as well.
Many of the problems that the Fine Arts Theater addresses arose from its previous renovation in 1976.
The Office of University Architects and the Department of Theater and Film Studies are breathing new life into the historic space with a $3.25 million renovation.
According to David Saltz, associate professor and head of the Department of Theater and Film Studies, the renovation includes restoring the theater’s original architecture, and also modernizing a lot of its existing features.
“This project is a big priority for the University,” said Saltz, who has worked as the department head for five years now. “The Fine Arts Building is one of the most historical buildings on campus, and the renovation will help preserve that past for the University.”
The focus of the first phase of the renovation is on increasing acoustical quality and visibility. In addition, the box office and coat check will be restored and modern, multi-stall bathrooms will be installed downstairs.
Saltz hopes the renovation will attract more theatergoers and with 611 new seats being installed, in addition to the refurbished original ones, it’s possible that audience sizes will increase.
“Many seasoned patrons were unhappy with the performances in the old theater, and I’m hoping this renovation will make their experiences a pleasure in the future,” said Saltz.
Before the renovation, the Fine Arts Theater was not ideal for performances. According to Saltz, the walls and ceiling were bad for acoustics, which forced actors to strain their voices to be heard. Also, the slope of the theater was low enough that it was difficult for audience members sitting in the first 10 rows to see anything below the actors’ knees.
“Actors would be performing their heart out, and doing everything they could to project well,” said Saltz, “but the sound was going everywhere but at the audience.”
During the renovation, the dry wall will be stripped off to reveal the original tiling underneath. According to Saltz, the tiling is much better for acoustics and will be painted to reveal the beauty of the original work as well.
Many of the problems that the Fine Arts Theater addresses arose from its previous renovation in 1976.
When the theater was built in 1939, the walls were hand-tiled and balconies were constructed on both sides of the stage. Columns were erected and the original theater featured a breathtaking domed ceiling.
But in the 1970s, modern theater design called for the covering of distracting ornamentation. To keep with the times, the theater was renovated and the original architecture was covered with dry wall.
The balconies were removed and the one-of-a-kind Fine Arts Theater was boxed in and blacked out with spray paint.
According to Saltz, it was the dry wall, the catwalks, and the heavy scaffolding hanging from the ceiling that made the acoustics of the theater inadequate.
“To be frank, the theater was an embarrassment when we hosted touring shows,” said Saltz. “It wasn’t the actors’ faults, the theater was just a terrible place to perform.”
According to Scott Messer, Project Manager and historic preservationist in the Architects’ office at the University, a study was done in 2003 to assess the quality of the acoustics in the Fine Arts Theater. It was the study that prompted the University to pump money and resources into renovating the theater.
“This renovation is going to restore the theater as a historical part of the University,” said Messer. “It puts a fine space back online and it will allow the theater department to centralize its performances, because before, they were performing shows all over Athens to avoid using the theater.”
Mirla Criste, assistant professor in the Fine Arts Department, is excited about the renovations.
“We're all very much looking forward to being able to work in a space that has been specifically configured for the production of theatrical works,” said Criste, “something that wasn't quite true of the space before the renovation.”
Phase one of the renovation is scheduled for completion on Aug. 31, but Messer said the deadline might be extended. Future phases include restoring the large domed ceiling and skylight.
“Essentially, the renovation is going to bring the Fine Arts building back to life,” said Saltz, “and that is going to affect the University as a whole. It has a history that needs to be preserved, and that’s what this project is all about.”
EDITED: Imann Gad
Miranda, Imann:
ReplyDeleteThis is a very nice story with good sourcing and lots of detail and explanation. It's amazing how much work architects are doing now to undo the hideous choices of the 1960s and '70s.
One little thing to think about is that in attribution, it's generally better to use a subject-verb construction, with the source first and the "said" second.
So, “To be frank, the theater was an embarrassment when we hosted touring shows,” said Saltz...
should be:
“To be frank, the theater was an embarrassment when we hosted touring shows,” SALTZ SAID.
It's a more natural construction, because most sentences go subject-verb-object. An exception would be if you're adding more information about the speaker after the attribution, because then you want that information to modify a noun that comes right before the comma. So in this sentence:
“This project is a big priority for the University,” said Saltz, who has worked as the department head for five years now...
the construction works.