Byline: Marian Sandberg

You might not be so familiar with Schenectady, NY. Located about 15 miles outside of the state capital of Albany, it's where Proctor's Theatre has sat since 1926, playing host to entertainers through the years from Duke Ellington to Mariah Carey. In fact, if you've seen Ms. Carey's music video for "Hero," you've at least seen Proctor's. The video was shot there during a concert special in 1993.

Pedigree aside, last year the theatre was in need of a renovation that involved a bit more than an upgrade here and there. It was more like a full demolition and erection of a new stage house, all to be approved in advance by New York's Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP), since the theatre's interior is a landmark.

The goals outlined by the theatre's fundraising campaign included attracting larger touring Broadway-type shows to the 2,696-seat venue by increasing the main stage house to three times the area of what was there before (to 55' deep x 125' wide). This included major construction to the entire structure, adding a three-bay truck staging area, and installing a new state-of-the-art sound and lighting system. In addition, a completely new 450-seat theatre (GE Theatre), with large-format Iwerks film technology would be added as a multipurpose venue in the former Carl Company space. The campaign to fund the renovation was estimated at $22.5 million.

While the owners of the theatre were heavily involved in the planning of the renovation (there was no subcontracted work; all contractors were brought in directly by the theatre), it took a highly collaborative effort to get the project going. Specialized systems design and install was directed by in-house technical director/master electrician Jim Petersen, including lighting by Theatre Consultants Collaborative, LLC; audio by Michael Cusik of Specialized Audio-Visual Inc. (SAVI); acoustics by Marshall KMK; stage design and layout by Adirondack Scenic, Inc.; lighting from PRG; rigging systems by Pook, Diemont & Ohl; and additional lighting, dimming, and wiring by BMI Supply. Stracher Roth Gilmore (SRG) was the architectural firm contracted for the project.

A Plan For All Seasons

In order to accommodate the planned rigorous schedule of various touring acts and productions coming in, and to remain true to the theatre's original purpose as a vaudeville-type venue, the systems and spaces were designed to maximize efficiency of loads in and out. To ensure protection of the 49'x23'6" proscenium and theatre interior during construction (the only part of the original structure to remain intact), a steel supported wall was inserted behind it as a sort of guard wall.

"While technically a renovation, in truth it was a new construction of a stage house and renovation of the adjacent historic interiors," says Curtis Kasefang of Chapel Hill, NC-based Theatre Consultants Collaborative, who designed the performance lighting system. Ben Boltin, also of Theatre Consultants Collaborative, provided review services on the rigging system.

Kasefang adds that the staff at Proctor's (including CEO Philip Morris, COO Dan Sheehan, and Petersen) were "sophisticated...