Theatre Design Portfolio
John Cooper School, The Woodlands, TX
Morris Architects selected Bill Conner Associates LLC as their theatre consultant for this private college prep school. BCA provided general programming, sightlines, seating, rigging and lighting designs for this new performing arts building which includes a 500-seat main stage proscenium theatre and a large black box space. The owner requested a well equipped and professional level theatre space that can be easily used by their students and staff well into the future.
Equipment for the facility includes a full single purchase counterweight rigging system, theatrical lighting systems, theatrical luminaires, orchestra shell system, motorized acoustic curtains, black box platform system and an orchestra pit platform system (soon to be upgraded to pit elevator). Also included is an architectural lighting system with 3-color LED cove lights, making it possible to change the look and mood of the audience space at the push of a button.
Detroit School of the Arts, Detroit, MI
The Detroit School of Arts is a new 1,200 student high school that combines the current Communications and Media Arts High School and the Detroit School for the Arts (DSA).
This new six-story building, designed by Hamilton Anderson Architects, features many unique academic, performance and production spaces including an 800-seat auditorium, a 200-seat recital hall, black box theatre, television and radio production studios, art studios and galleries, vocal and instrumental music rehearsal rooms, and top-floor media center.
Additionally, DSA was developed using the principles of sustainable design, making it an environmentally friendly building. This practice marries the best of good architectural design and high-tech engineering to develop buildings that use energy efficiently, maximize the performance of natural light and provide high indoor air quality.
Bill Conner was the principal theatre consultant for this project while with a previous consultancy.
The Kinkaid School, Houston, TX
The performing arts center for this private school comprises of a 62,000 sf fine arts center housing a 780-seat proscenium theatre and 150-seat black box flexible performance space. The performing arts center is built 15’ below grade, due to neighborhood height restrictions and is designed to blend with existing campus architecture. Facilities include a dance studio, orchestra rehearsal hall, scene shop, a classroom, backstage support areas, and offices. The Kinkaid School is the winner of design awards by American University & Schools, Society of American Registered Architects and Houston AIA.