The time for a major makeover has come for the Christopher Cohan Performing Arts Center (PAC).
Sidney Harman Hall, the largest site within the PAC’s two main venues, will undergo renovation this summer due to certain outdated equipment and technology. The program is scheduled to be completed by Sept. 23, PAC managing director Ron Regier said, and will include changes to the building’s ticketing and audio systems, movie screen, stage floor and seating.
Regier said the PAC’s maintenance program has debated over what major changes to make since the venue opened 16 years ago, and is now finally able to implement the changes due to greater available funding.
The funding for the renovation project, which will cost a total of $2.4 million, comes from four sources, Regier said. The PAC Major Equipment Maintenance, Repair & Replacement (MEMRRP), the PAC’s savings account, will contribute $1.7 million to the project. Each year, a fixed amount of at least $375,000 is allocated into the MEMRRP to save up for the building’s needed improvements. These savings are collected through the state, city of San Luis Obispo, donations from the community and fees earned through PAC performances, and not through university student fees, Regier said. In addition, the Foundation for the Performing Arts Center (FPAC), an independent non-profit organization that partners with Cal Poly, raised $731,000 for the audio system updates through donations from the community.
Executive director of FPAC Heather Cochrane said the time they have waited to make the changes was worth it; the renovation is now possible due to new technology options, lower costs and generous donations.
“I think it’s important that our community values the PAC enough to contribute to keeping it state of the art,” Cochrane said. “We have a community that’s committed to the performing arts.”
Some upgrades have already been completed, while some will remain under construction and maintenance until September. The new ticketing system, movie screen and stage floor are ready for public use.
The PAC’s new unified ticketing system, called PolyTix, allows people to buy tickets and select seats online for all university’s arts, athletics and Associated Students, Inc. events. The service utilizes a software called AudienceView.
The idea of PolyTix was born in 1994, when the PAC was built and former Cal Poly provost Robert Koob formed a committee to evaluate the system’s possibilities, Regier said. Upon his return for his second term as provost, Koob continued to encourage the change. After a year of evaluation and a year of prescribing the proper equipment and software, PolyTix went live June 1, costing $162,025, and funded by the university.
“We hope that PolyTix will become a resource for ticketing, not just for arts and ASI, but for every event that takes place on campus, like rodeos, tractor pulls and sorority dances,” Regier said.
The second completed change is the installation of a new Harkness micro-perforated movie screen, entirely donated to the PAC by local company USL, Inc. The screen’s design allows for the placement of an audio system behind the screen, so that the sound will now seem more like it’s coming from the characters in the shown movie, Regier said. Its purpose was to enhance the presentation of the live broadcasts and movies presented, he said.
The last finished renovation is the stage floor, which was simply an aesthetic concern, according to Regier. The easy wear and tear of the floor within a short amount of time was not consistent with the overall appearance of the building, he said, and every time the PAC staff would look at it, they would “recognize that it was an embarrassment.”
The floor was covered in an entirely different product that would make it easier to maintain and look better longer, Regier said.
“(The product) creates a molecular bond with the wood … so if there’s a scratch, you’re not seeing light wood coming through,” he said. “It’s easier to put more of it on to cover up a blemish.”
The project cost was estimated to be $16,132 and was funded by the PAC MEMRRP.
Still undergoing setup and maintenance are Harman Hall’s new seating and audio system.
The now squeaky pink seats will be replaced by red, stain-resistant chairs with wood armrests and backs designed by Series Seating. Aside from the fact that the staff budgeted for the seats to be replaced at this time, the new design is mainly to relieve the chronic squeaking that often disrupts performances, Regier said.
“If you have a piano soloist, or a very quiet moment in a symphony performance, it’s just not acceptable,” he said of the squeaking.
The total replacement of the seats will cost $733,000, funded by the PAC MEMRRP.
Lastly, the biggest technological change to Harman Hall is its audio system. It will undergo two major upgrades: replacement of the current house sound system and installation of the “constellation system.”
The current outdated house audio system will be replaced by line array technology by Meyer Sound, consisting of banana-shaped speakers. These replacements will “enable the audio controller to better direct sound so it has a broader and more even coverage,” Regier said.
The next part of the audio project will be the constellation system, a network of small speakers and microphones. Although the original system of speakers did not negatively affect audience members, instrument players on stage would not be able to hear one another, which Regier said posed a big inconvenience.
When deployed, the constellation system’s network will come down from the ceiling to situate above the stage. The sound from performers will be captured by the microphones, digitally transmitted to and processed through a computer program, distributed back to the speakers and finally back to the players in a nearly instantaneous period, Regier said.
The consolidated audio project cost $1,480,000, funded by the Foundation for the Performing Arts Center (FPAC) and the PAC MEMRRP. The FPAC raised $731,000 for the constellation system through donations from the San Luis Obispo community, FPAC’s Heather Cochrane said.
“We’ve waited patiently for the best possible acoustic system, and it’s really thrilling that (donors will) be able to hear the things they’ve donated to for so long,” Cochrane said.
In addition to renovations to the building itself, the PAC is now sponsoring parking so that patrons will not need to pay the previous charge of $6, Cal Poly Arts director Steven Lerian said.
Lerian said that as a client of the PAC, he appreciates the constant work the PAC staff puts in to upgrading the facility.
“They maintain it in a way that makes it feel like new every time we go in,” he said. “That’s what means the most to me.”
Jim Chernoff, technical services manager for the PAC, said the efforts in the renovation will benefit Cal Poly Arts as well as many campus organizations and community members that use the building.
“Overall I think everyone will come out ahead over this,” Chernoff said.
Considering the changes are still under maintenance, Harman Hall will remain closed until Aug. 7. Various scheduled performances will take place for about a week, until Aug. 15, when it will close again until Sept. 23, the scheduled reopening date.
Regier anticipates the completely renovated facility for the upcoming school year.
“We’re finally bringing major components up to the high standards that were set initially,” he said. “I think and hope that performers and the audience will appreciate the fact that they’re experiencing a performance in a state of the art facility. We want to have the very highest level of experience for them as possible, and I think these improvements will help accomplish that.”