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Noteworthy Capital Improvements in GE Theatre at Proctors
Posted by Gail M. Burns - September 2010
FOREVER PLAID Highlights Noteworthy Capital Improvements
In GE Theatre at Proctors
Schenectady, NY – To take a lead from a biblical reference, when four gifted actor/singers take the stage at the GE Theatre at Proctors for each performance of FOREVER PLAID, there’s no hiding their good looks, showmanship or musical “talents under a bushel.”
The best of the PLAIDS is front and center for all to see and hear, in large measure, the result of recent, major updates to sound and lighting equipment in the 4,000 square foot black-box GE Theatre at Proctors. The enhancements help to showcase the PLAIDS at their best, and contribute to the intimate, nightclub atmosphere of GE Theatre and the play, which has brought audiences to their feet at every performance. FOREVER PLAID continues to play at Proctors until September 12.
According to Karen Johnson, Capital Campaign Director for Proctors, the updates are but another element in the ongoing $30 million capital improvement initiative at Proctors that began in 2004.
A recent matching grant, she says, coupled with a gift from a private benefactor, has enabled Proctors to update the 15-year old equipment in the GE Theatre that had been removed from Proctors Mainstage in 2007 and installed in the GE Theatre that year.
The combined $60,000 improvements expand Proctors capacity to present live shows through the introduction of a new state-of-the-art sound system (d&b audiotechnik T. System & a Yamaha LS-9 mixing console), which replace a 15-year old system from the historic theatre. While the sound system for film had been new, the sound for live entertainment had not been upgraded in the recent capital expansion.
In addition, Proctors added two 40’ trusses for additional lighting positions. One is over the stage and one at the rear of the theatre, a dead center lighting point. Two motors were purchased to power these trusses and for other related uses in this theatre.
The recent installations were completed by the Proctors stagehands under the supervision of Technical Director James Petersen. Proctors has a crew of two backstage managers and six employees who operate both the Mainstage and GE Theatre for the Proctors arts and entertainment complex; each has specialized skills in sound, lighting, and general stagecraft. Dan Sheehan, Operations Director at Proctors, along with William Blunck, sound technician, helped select the equipment.
“These improvements are very transparent,” says Mr. Sheehan. “The speaker system is as non-descript as it was before, but the technology, and resulting sound quality, are a leap forward of twenty years. If not visibly apparent, our audiences will experience these upgrades through the enhanced quality of the technical aspects of any live GE Theatre presentation.”
Opening the Doors to Cost Efficiency, Audience Satisfaction
The GE Theatre is completely wheelchair accessible with its flat floor. It also has built-in hearing stations. The recent equipment additions heighten the experience of those who frequent the GE Theatre to the level of the larger Mainstage at Proctors by improving the sound and technical capacity for enhanced lighting and scenery.
A smaller, more intimate space, the GE Theatre often is able to offer lower ticket prices, further extending the possibility of participating in live performances to Capital Region residents of varying income levels. Many art forms, which have a smaller anticipated audience than a performance in the 2,700 seat Mainstage house, can be made available in the GE Theatre, enabling Proctors
to schedule more diverse events to meet the expectations of the region’s wide and evolving tastes and interests.
The multi-purpose GE Theatre has a 35’ x 50’ screen and 436 raked seats that facilitate use as an open, flat space with a sprung danceable floor, as a theater or giant-screened movie house.
The GE Theatre has hosted recent events that include folk singers and comedians and the regionally produced Amahl and the Night Visitors and Brundebar. Proctors Films Programs in the GE include the wide-format iwerks films for public and arts in education as well as opera from La Scala, ballet, an Annual Animation Festival, a 24-hour science fiction series and the It Came from Schenectady monthly alternative movie offerings.
In September, Proctors will debut a 3-D adventure produced at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. RPI and Proctors will collaborate to bring this breakthrough, animated, scientific film to Capital Region audiences.
FOREVER PLAID seems tailor-made for the intimacy of the GE Theatre at Proctors, and audiences – who have embraced every showing with a standing ovation — seem to agree. More? Visit proctors.org or follow this link:
(http://www.proctors.org/events/forever_plaid)