This two-building facility will support a strong music and storytelling program
and provide a home for new programs in theatre and dance. The PAC has a
350-seat theatre, a flexible black box/ rehearsal space, a dance studio and a
full complement of performer and technical support spaces.
The audience is invited into the warm wood veneer interior of the theatre
through huge doors opening from the house and lobby. The 17 foot wide
lobby entrance can be closed with acoustically rated doors and covered with
heavy drapes to prevent sound or light leaks. Use of the large doors is
optional as there are standard vestibule entrances to the house as well. The theatre's large control room is suitable for use as a teaching space, as are the makeup, costume and scenery production spaces. The theatre features three front-of-house lighting catwalks and a full rigging system. To accommodate both music and drama there is an extensive system of motorized acoustical curtains to vary the response time of the room.
The classroom building features a black box with acoustical shaping to allow for future music recording, a dance studio and standard lecture classrooms. The black box and dance studio share a two-sided control room set well above the main floor.
Owner's Representative: South Mountain Community College, Maricopa County Comm. Coll. District, Facilities Planning and Development, 2411 W 14th Street, Tempe, AZ 85281, (480) 731-8237 Tim Keneipp, Project Manager
Architect: Jones Studio, Inc., 4450 North 12th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85014 (602) 264-2941. Neal Jones, Principal in Charge
Construction data: 40,900 SF, bid in Spring 2002 at $7.14M.
