Motion Picture News (Oct-Dec 1930)

.1/ (i I i i> n Picture News which would only be used in an emergency. There are two movable stage platforms which are raised anil lowered to the basement by hydraulic power ; in their final positions at the proper level, they constitute the stage floor. The two stage platForms make it possible for one scene to be set in the basement while another is being "played." the substitution being effected during twenty seconds of darkness or behind a curtain of light. The Children's Theatre: The Children's Theatre is a small proscenium type theatre seating 200 children on the main floor and <>l I adults on a balcony. The length is N4 feet and the width is 56 feet. The stage has a second stage above it for marionette shows. The theatre is rectangular in shape with two side aisles. Above the auditorium is a rehearsal room. On the roof are terraces for outdoor dance and gymnasium rehearsals. The Cabaret: The cabaret has a dining capacity of 250 people. The main axis of the entrance, dance floor, and orchestra is on the diagonal of the square represented by the ground plan of the building. The main dining room is two stories high with a balcony around the second floor. The kitchen and pantries are in the basement with service elevators to the balcony level. Directly across from the entrance is a circular orchestra pit sunk below the level of the dance floor. From this the dance floor radiates. Behind the orchestra pit is an elevated stage with steps on The Roof Garden: The roof garden is rectangular in plan, with four terraces and a circular orchestra space. Stairs and an elevator rise from the lobby to the balcony and roof gardens. General Notes on Building: The orchestra pits in the large and small theatres occupy the space between the foyer and the stage on the ground level. This pit is entirely invisible to the audience, the sound reaching the auditorium through perforations in the risers of the continuous flight of steps which form the apron to the stage. This room is large enough to accommodate an orchestra of sixty musicians ; the conductor commands a view of the entire stage through a periscope. A single dome spans the stage and the auditorium, forming a vast cyclorama including both walls and ceiling and clearing the stage space of the usual wilderness of ropes, drops and borders. The major part of the space under GROUND FLOOR PLAN either side leading down to the dance floor. A movable screen regulates the depth of the stage. On either side of the entrance lobbyare retiring rooms and pantries. 8A5EMENT FLOOR PLAN neath the auditorium is occupied by a broad quadrant-shaped foyer, forming an ample promenade, from either side of which broad stairways lead to the auditorium. The basement under the ground floor is storage and shifting space for scenery. On the roof is space for open air rehearsals, directly adjacent to the interior rehearsal rooms. AUDITORIUM PlA-i Light galleries surround the dome and are controlled from one switchboard. This control is located above and behind the heads of the spectators and concealed from them, the projectors being on disappearing carriages, hidden by a parapet save when in actual use. The depth of the stage of the large theatre is 52 feet. The depth of the auditorium is 100 feet, and the spread of the auditorium including the side aisles is 236 feet. The height of the dome above the auditorium floor level is 96 feet. The depth of the stage of the small theatre is 24 feet. The depth of the auditorium is 64 feet, and the spread of the auditorium including the side aisles is 144 feet. The height of the dome above the auditorium floor level is 64 feet. The Central Tower: The Central Tower is composed of over one hundred large dressing rooms each having outside windows and showers, rehearsal rooms, workshops, and offices. The tower is nineteen stories high, the two top stories being devoted to water tanks. LETTER KEY TO ALL PLANS A. Auditorium O. Orchestra B. Box Office P. Promenade C. Check Room Q. Automobile Tunnel D. Dressing Room R. Rehearsal Room E. F. Elevators Foyer S. T Stage G. H. Sound Machinery Shower Room U. Dining Space J Toilet V. Hydraulic Plungers K. Dining Room w. Dance Floor L. Lounge Electrician X. Escalators M. y. Area for Shifting Scenery N. Assembly Room z. Stage Door Entrance