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UC IRVINE THEATRES

A great part of being a sound designer at UCI is the fact that none of the theatres have a built-in sound system that you have to use. Some of the theatres have a basic system installed for classes and small workshop performances, but each designed production starts with an empty theatre ready to load in any equipment a designer specifies. This allows the designer to have control over every aspect of the show down to the exact height and angle of every loudspeaker.

The theatres below are the most-used performance spaces in the School of the Arts, but keep in mind that UCI sound designers have designed pieces everywhere from lobbies to balconies to construction sites on campus.

Here's a brief look at our theatres:

THE CLAIRE TREVOR THEATRE

CTT PLAN

The Claire Trevor Theatre is the Drama Department's primary proscenium theatre. It is a relatively intimate, acoustically special house with a large stage and a full fly system. The typical FOH sound position is the house-right "wheelchair" location on the drawing. There is a hydraulic orchestra pit and a built-in sound infrastructure of patchable mic and speaker jacks placed throughout the space.

The lower level of the theatre houses the sound shop as well as the electrics shop, prop shop, costume shop, and dressing rooms.

 

THE ROBERT COHEN STUDIO THEATRE

ST Small

The Cohen Studio Theatre is a 47' x 47' (approximately) black box theatre. There is no standard seating layout, so the theatre can be a proscenium, thrust, arena (etc...) space. Accordingly, there is no standard audio setup. This space allows for limitless audio designs, as it is nothing more than a blank slate.

 

THE WINIFRED SMITH HALL

WSH

The Winifred Smith Hall has a unique modified thrust stage with a wooden sprung dance floor. It is used often for dance and music events but occasionally for theatre. The hall also has a pipe organ.

 

THE LITTLE THEATRE

Littlt

The Little Theatre is the original theatre space for the Drama Department. It is our second smallest proscenium theatre with 165 seats and no fly system. The Little Theatre is a well-used, intimate venue.

 

THE IRVINE BARCLAY THEATRE

IBT

The Irvine Barclay Theatre is a large proscenium roadhouse space on the UCI campus just 2 blocks from the Arts. Under a special charter agreement, the School of the Arts presents shows here -- typically large musicals, dance concerts and symphonic concerts. Check out the Barclay's website here.

THE NIXON THEATRE

Tucked away inside the Department of Studio Art is the Nixon Theatre. This 50 seat proscenium is used exclusively for Drama student productions. There is a robust student-produced season of shows each year with little or no faculty input.

THE EXPERIMENTAL MEDIA PERFORMANCE LAB (xMPL)

This space is a rectangular black box with a balcony rail and tension wire grid. It can seat 225 at full capacity. This theatre is designed to foster the integration of technology and performance. Our Meyer Sound Design Studio is wired into this space and there is an additional recording studio belonging to the Department of Music that is directly attached.

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