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Theatre Space
The Gracie Theatre on the campus of Husson University in Bangor, Maine
“It provides the ability to
mount highly sophisticated
productions and it also presents
students with invaluable
state-of-the-art hands-on
learning tools.”
—David Kotch
Walters Storyk Design Group collaborated
with WBRC for the theatre’s acoustics.
The ceiling acoustic clouds were made
by a local wood vendor.
for monitor mixes. The recording studio features
a Digidesign ICON console and Pro Tools system.
Other consoles on hand include a 48-channel
analog Allen & Heath, a 32-channel digital Yamaha
and a 32-channel Soundcraft Ghost. There are also several JBL speaker systems, which
can be used for stage monitors or as alternate stage-mounted speaker systems. Crown
amps are used to power the building monitor system for the dressing rooms, rehearsal
space and hallways. The theatre has Clear-Com for its intercom systems and assisted
listening systems from Listen Technologies.
Because the Gracie is designed as a multi-use venue with live theatrical and musical
performances as well as TV, online and broadcast applications with video projection,
Masque developed a Crestron-based control system. The space has a Crestron MPS-
300 Multimedia Presentation System capable of coordinating projector, audio, video
and a variety of wireless microphones with a TPS-6X wireless touch panel. Masque
also developed a custom speaker splitter/patch system for the main array. “There’s a
tremendous amount of advanced technology at play in this theatre,” adds Kotch. “It
provides the ability to mount highly sophisticated productions and it also presents
students with invaluable state-of-the-art hands-on learning tools. It’s a terrific educational
tool.”
Making It Visible
WSDG brought in longtime collaborator, lighting designer Josephine Marquez
of JMarquez Consultants, to design and commission a flexible production lighting
system. “I designed a dimmer per circuit lighting system,” explains Marquez. “So no
matter where they plug in a light, there is a dimmer to control it. The dimming system
that is installed for the Gracie includes 196 2.4kW ETC Sensor dimmers for stage
lighting and 24 2.4kW ETC Sensor dimmers for the houselights. I also included 60 ETC
SmartSwitch relays for non-dims and worklights.”
An ETC Ion 1000 console with a 2x10 fader wing provides control for the stage lighting.
There is an equipment rack backstage left with all house and worklight controls
and a plug-in station for the console. The lighting booth duplicates all the controls and
there are work and houselight controls throughout the theatre as well as a designer
control plug-in station located in the house for a tech desk position. “I included an
ETCNet network in the theatre with tap positions for ETCNet nodes to be plugged in
where needed,” comments Marquez. “For the stage lighting circuits, I designed raceways
on the stage pipes as well as some drop boxes in other locations.”
The fixture package for the Gracie includes 38 Source Four ellipsoidals from
Electronic Theatre Controls with a range of 14º, 19º and 26º beam spreads; six Philips
Selecon Pacific 23º-50º Zoomspot ellipsoidals; 25 ETC Source Four PARs and four
PARNels; two Elation Lighting Opti Tri PARs; two Martin Professional MAC 250’s;