# Celebrating 10 years-our beautiful Performing Arts Center in Dayton, OH



## Lunasong

I've had the pleasure of performing in our local venue many times and as recently as today!

*We go behind the scenes at the Schuster Center to tell you what makes it so state of the art.
Community open house, special anniversary celebration concert set for next weekend.*

By Meredith Moss









Patrick Keough, the Schuster Center's production manager, lifts a batten on one the 91 lines that make up the Mead Theatre's fly system. The system is used to raise and lower backdrops - and do it quickly by hand - during performances. Counter weights are added to the system to offset the weight of backdrops.

It was 10 years ago this week - on March 1, 2003 - that the Benjamin and Marian Schuster Center for the Performing Arts opened its doors at Second and Main streets in downtown Dayton.

In the decade since, the Schuster has established itself as a popular community gathering place as well as a state-of-the-art theatrical venue. An estimated four million people have been seated in the Mead Theatre over the past 10 years to see entertainment ranging from opera and dance to symphony and Broadway shows. And that's not including those who have attended weddings and fund-raisers, galas and community luncheons, and the prestigious Literary Peace Prize ceremonies.

The history of the Schuster really begins in 1995, when Second and Main LTD was formed to begin fund-raising for a new performing arts center. After Rike's department store was imploded in November 1999, construction of the new complex began in the spring of 2000.

According to the Victoria Theatre Association, which operates the Schuster, the cost of the total project was $121.9 million: an $88.1 million investment in the Schuster Center, and another $33.7 million for the Performance Place Tower. Over the past 10 years, the complex has had an estimated economic impact on the region of $239,404,458.









The theater's dome not only mimics the sky on the night before the Wright Brothers' first flight, but is made of mesh and shaped to enhance the acoustics.

A year-long anniversary celebration kicks off next weekend with a Friday Gala Concert starring five-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald. The special event also will include the unveiling of a permanent abstract art installation by artist Willis "Bing" Davis that will honor the late Dr. Benjamin and Marian Schuster, the buildings' major benefactors.

On Saturday, March 2, a free community open house will celebrate the Schuster Center with activities ranging from cooking demonstrations and ongoing entertainment to kids' activities.

A highlight of the day will be a behind-the-scenes tour that will allow rare access to areas not often seen by the public- including an opportunity to walk across the giant stage. Visitors will peek into a star's dressing room, view the wardrobe and costume rooms, and walk past the colorful murals designed and painted by the casts and crews of Broadway touring companies - from "Jersey Boys" to "Wicked."

Over the past 10 years, while the general public has been enjoying the Wintergarden, Citilites restaurant and the Mead and Mathile theaters, stage crews and performers have been appreciating the theater's sophisticated technical facilities.

"They all love it!" said Patrick Keough, the Schuster's production manager and technical director, who previously worked at an outdated Memorial Hall, where he said conditions were often less than ideal.









A Yamaha digital soundboard complements another analog board in the Schuster Center's Mead Theatre. Visitors to the community open house will see the sound and lighting systems demonstrated. 

Keough said the Schuster Center's acoustics are a stand-out.

"When Tony Bennett was here, he told the audience it was one of the best in the country - if not the world," recalled Keough, adding that Bennett then proceeded to perform without a microphone. "You could stand on the stage and talk in a normal voice and people in the balcony could hear every word you say!"

In addition to all of the automated panels and curtains that contribute to making the acoustics so impressive, other behind-the-scenes attractions range from the sophisticated rigging or "fly" system from which lighting and drops are hung, to the giant stage with its wide proscenium and spacious wings. A mechanical lift system moves the orchestra pit up and down.

"Every theater has an orchestra pit, but not every theater has a lift system," Keough explained. He said another huge plus is the climate-controlled loading dock that's close to the stage, allows three semi-trailers to pull in from the street and unload at one time, and is especially appreciated during the winter months.

Most folks who've occupied a seat in the Mead Theatre have never noticed the circular vents on the floor under their seats. It's all part of the heating and cooling system designed to minimize noise. The duct work is located a floor below.

David Hansen, a touring stage manager for more than 30 years, has worked in more than 100 theaters throughout the country and has been at the Schuster three times - twice for "Phantom of the Opera, once for "Wicked." He first came to the venue when it was under construction and being considered as a "Phantom" stop.

"It was an elaborate show technically, so we would go and survey theaters around the country that 'Phantom' had not yet played," Hansen explained. "The show required 20 48-foot semis to be loaded into the building. We needed a certain depth from the proscenium to the back wall and a certain distance from side-to-side into the wings, a certain number of dressing rooms. Plus, we needed 1,000 square feet of raw space where we could stage the costumes and the actors could come and go."

The Schuster met all of those requirements and more. Plus, it has a beautiful lobby, restaurant and house, Hansen said.

"Sometimes on paper it looks great, but it doesn't work," Hansen said. "In the case of the Schuster, what they planned works and works well."

He credits local stagehands with knowing their stuff.

"When we tour, we need a good local crew and building staff," Hansen explained. "We bring our key positions, our department heads, but otherwise we reply on local stagehands to set the show up and work it every performance.'

Those jobs range from costume crew to spotlight operator, to prop persons, to carpenters.

"In Dayton, the local stage hands are fantastic," Hansen said. "They look at something and know what it is and what they need to do; you don't have to stop and explain. They're walking around with the knowledge of the building, and that makes the road crew's job much easier."

Kathleen Clawson, an Albuquerque-based mezzo-soprano who has performed as a guest soloist with the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, also has served as guest director for seven Dayton Operas and is currently in town as the director of this weekend's production of "The Glory of Wagner." She'll return next year to direct "Aida."

"It is without a doubt one of the most wonderful performing venues I've had the opportunity to work in - and that includes many 'famous' theaters in big cities," Clawson said. "As a singer, the acoustics are absolutely spectacular. As a director, the theater has great technical capabilities and the Schuster crew is composed of passionate professionals that take pride in their work and are a joy to work with. I love working at the Schuster."









The Schuster stage can accommodate shows of every size. The proscenium opening is 56 ft. wide and has movable walls so it can be made smaller. From the stage opening to the back wall, it measures 50 feet.

http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/entertainment/arts-theater/celebrating-10-years/nWWWg/

http://www.schustercenter.org/
Venue website


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## Lunasong

A large scale 30' x 5' oil pastel artwork by local artist Willie "Bing" Davis, created in honor of the Schusters, has been installed and was dedicated yesterday, the official 10th anniversary of the opening of the Schuster Performing Arts Center.
http://www.schustercenter.org/schuster-anniversary/schuster-spirit-dance/
The link includes video of the creation and installation of the artwork, _Schuster Spirit Dance._









Today, the Center is hosting an Open House with backstage tours available to the public.


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