Performing Arts

Building a performing arts facility is possibly one of the most challenging projects any public agency, arts organization or academic institution will undertake. Not only is it one of the most expensive types of facilities to build, but also its operational costs greatly exceed those of most other public or educational facilities.

As a facility manager, it’s likely that you may be asked to be involved or even lead an effort to consider a new venue. Where do you begin? What issues should you consider? What questions should be asked? How do you know you’re building the “right” facility, and what will guarantee its success?

In the course of directing the cultural planning efforts at Pfeiffer Partners, a firm that has programmed and designed more than 50 centers for the arts across the country, I’ve found that the two most important questions that need to be asked in the early planning phases of a performing arts facility are: “What is the appropriate seat count?” and “Do we need a fly tower?”

The answers to these two questions are interrelated and will influence both the construction and operational costs of the facility, as well as the types of necessary support spaces that will be required.

Appropriate Seat Count
The answer to determining the appropriate seat count is derived by considering the following.

Who is the audience? As you know, there’s no audience for a building, per se. Instead, audiences are drawn by the performance, whether it is music, opera, theater, dance or a Broadway show. The crucial question is, who is your audience — and what events and performances will attract them?
Where do they go now to participate in the arts? How will your facility differentiate itself from other nearby facilities? How large is the region from which you are able to draw your audience? What is the demographic make-up of the audience–education, income, age?

National studies indicate that educational attainment, even more than income level, is the greatest indicator of the propensity to attend cultural events. Do your homework. Know who your audience is today, and predict who it might be in the next five to 10 years.

Touring Broadway shows. If your goal is to attract touring Broadway shows, a rule of thumb is that the minimum seat count for these events is 2,000, with many facilities ranging in size from 2,500 to 3,000 seats. For comparison, most regional symphonies will draw between 1,200 to 1,600 patrons per event. Obviously, there are exceptions to the rule.

Regional and academic arts organizations. In determining the appropriate seat count, it’s important to remember that it’s difficult for most regional theater groups, music ensembles or academic performers to attract audiences of the magnitude of a touring Broadway show. In fact, not only do they often feel lost in such a space, they’re not able to afford to rent a room of this size and technical complexity. Playing to a halffilled room is disconcerting to even the most seasoned performer.
Similarly, audiences feel uncomfortable in a venue that feels empty. The question is whether you’re building a performing arts facility for touring Broadway shows or hoping to fulfill the needs of local and regional arts organizations and/or academic department.

Many agencies and institutions resolve this question by providing multiple performance venues when finances allow. Others look for creative architectural solutions that enable a room to reduce its seat count through moveable seats, flexible room configurations and a combination of lighting and screening techniques. The success of such rooms varies widely.

To Fly or Not to Fly
The second question — whether or not to build a fly tower — is equally complicated and is determined in part by balancing theatrical demands with available financial resources. (At 90 to 100 feet tall and 50 x 100 feet in dimension, these are not inexpensive components to build). Topics to consider revolve around the following.

Who are the performers? What types of performers will use the facility, and how often? Just as shopping centers don’t build for the peak holidays, it’s important not to overbuild an arts facility — creating a performance venue that will only be used on occasion and otherwise sits dark. Since these are expensive buildings to build and operate, it’s important that they’re actively programmed and as busy as possible — weekdays as well as weekends. Another rule of thumb is that a performance venue should be booked a minimum of 250 days annually (including both rehearsals and performances).

Ask the users. Ask yourself (and the potential users) the question: “Do the organizations that wish to use the performance space require a fly tower — and if so, to what level of complexity?”

A performance venue’s seating capacity should be planned according to its general needs, not those of the peak season. Additionally, the venue should be booked a minimum of 250 days annually, including rehearsals and performances.

While touring Broadway shows, as well as some regional theatrical organizations, require a fully developed fly tower (for flying sets, etc.), many other types of performances do not. These include music, dance, some forms of theater, comedy, lectures, etc. Performance spaces can still be multi-use without necessarily requiring a fly tower.

A rule of thumb is that the addition of a fly tower (and its necessary equipment and support area) can add as much as $5 million to the price of construction.

Pick Any Two
There are three variables relative to determining the costs of an arts facility:

• Quantity. The amount of square footage you wish to build
• Quality. The level of construction quality (including acoustical) that you desire
• Budget. The available financial resources

If your budget is fixed, you must be able to balance the amount of square footage you desire with the level of quality envisioned. If your square footage is fixed, as is your level of quality, then the multiplication of these two factors will tell you how much your budget needs to be. Remember, don’t just consider construction costs; such a facility must also be equipped and furnished.

A final rule of thumb is that approximately 65% of your costs will go toward hard costs — construction. The remaining 35% will fund soft costs — fixtures, furniture, equipment, fees, contingencies, etc. Establish your budget early on, and monitor it often.

Importance of Programming
Studies have shown that 90% of user dissatisfaction with an arts facility is a result of decisions made during the initial programming phase, giving rise to the adage: “If you don’t have the right program, you’ll never have the right building.”

Spend the time necessary to develop a well thought-through space program. Time spent up front resolving the above issues will save time and money later on in the process. It’s time and money well spent.

Jean Marie Gath is a principal — planning, with Pfeiffer Partners Architects, New York City, and Los Angeles.