Exhibitors Herald (Oct-Dec 1922)

THEATRE EQUIPMENT Efficiency of Reinforced Concrete For Firesaf e Theatre Construction A VETERAN theatre man who had been a successful motion-picture exhibitor through the Middle West for years sold out his holdings and retiree1 just before the War. Recently he was approached by a former competitor with a proposition to take over an interest in a string of twelve successful houses. "Nothing doing" was his terse reply. In response to the plea that it represented a sure investment of big paying proportions he remained firm. "I made up my mind five years ago never to have anything to do with the operation of an 'old' theatre," he said. "The continuous strain of worrying over fire and panic possibilities made me old before my time, and when I sold out I swore that not another penny of mine nor any effort of mine would go into a play or picture house unless I built it myself and knew that it was absolutely firesafe." This man had never had a serious fire in any of his houses and with the unceasing vigilance that he maintained the public was given as fair a chance in his establishments as he could possibly give them. But the heavy toll in nervous energy that this watchfulness exerted has forced him out of the game until he can afford to build a new theatre. Safety Is in Construction Many exhibitors are facing much the same problem aud in many cases arc preparing to go ahead with new building plans which will set at rest much of the strain and worry incident to fire prevention in theatres. They have learned, as every wide awake theatre owner has discovered, that the only true prevention is THE accompanying article, prepared expressly for this department by the Portland Cement Association, a national organization whose purpose is to extend and improve the use of concrete, points out how this product can be most efficiently used in theatre construction. While associations representing various products that go into general lines of building have conducted research and otherwise aided prospective builders, little definite attention, unfortunately, has been directed toward motion picture theatre construction. Further articles on other construction material and its uses in theatre building will be published in this department in future issues. in construction . They are building theatres that won't burn. Many considerations enter into this phase of construction and a general outline of methods of firesafe theatre building may be found of value to theatre operators. _ Point Out Fundamentals In the first place there are three fundamental things to be considered — site, sound and safety. Of these three, the last is least in evidence to the theatre goer although of vital importance to him. The visual qualities of the theatre arc entirely under the control of the designer. The width and height of the proscenium opening must balance with the arrangement of the auditorium portion of the BEACHAM THEATRE, Orlando, Fla., showing a stucco finish utilized over firesafe concrete and steel construction. building At first glance this is a simple thing to arrange but the main dimension* of theatre buildings arc often governed snace TfhfhPe ^ ^ °f th* building space If the ground space has a narrow end, as is often the case, the width of the proscenium arch may be governed by the 3'P * n? VV°rkmg SpaCe reciuired at each side ot the arch. Many stages elaborately outfitted have been found so deficient in off-stage working space as to make them useless except to hang drops "in one," thus forcing all performers to work out on the stage apron. <»«»s<; Arch Can Be Concrete Structurally, there is nothing difficult about a proscenium arch. The fact that this opening is an arch lends itself admirably to the use of reinforced concrete and the span is not so great but that it may be achieved with a reinforced concrete beam shaped to form an arch and thus make it possible to support the arch on columns without having to take care of any thrusts. The matter of acoustics depends not at all upon the material used in construction but on sound deflecting surfaces draperies, etc. A disastrous and life exacting theatre fire is wholly unnecessary. A theatre need contain no combustible material in its structural parts and very little of an inflammable nature in the auditorium. Combustible material in any considerable quantity is easily confined to the stage and off-stage spaces and the use of a fly loft vent as required by many city building regulations will serve to convert a stage fire into something similar to a fireplace in a living room. Thus, the stage represents the hearth. The proscenium arch the mantel; the auditorium represents the room and trie fly loft vent the flue that carries off the smoke and poisonous gases generated by burning wood, cotton, scenery, paint and often the more than useless so-called fireproof solutiqns with which some cities compel their managers to saturate theatre scenery. Spreading Fire Is Hazard If the lining of this "fireplace" is of combustible material the simile ceases to be a simile and the structural integrity of the building itself will soon be destroyed. Certainty of communication of the fire to other parts of the theatre then makes the hazard real indeed. Theatres are not emptied in a few minutes, especially under the panic conditions resulting from fires, the horrors of which are already firmly implanted in the minds of the crowd. The influence of fear through psychology or the absence of it, is well illustrated in a recent auditorium fire in which the manager announced the presence of a fire which would soon become apparent with the statement that the building was thoroughly fireproof and could not burn. The