On the February 3rd, we had our scavenger hunt to find all the different kinds of pillars. I went scavenging (and hunting) with Margaret. Photographic evidence can be found on her blog.
On the 5th, however, we toured the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, which was quite an interesting tour. I had visited the Krannert Center several times before to see a friend perform and for Engineering convocation at the beginning of my freshman year of college, but I had never taken the time to examine the layout of the building.
One of the coolest things I learned from the tour is that not only is there one consistent lobby that connects all the theaters, but this lobby is 1.5 acres (or three tennis courts, if that suits you better), and is one of the largest connected indoor spaces in the country (world?). As we walked through the lobby, we learned that Herman and Ellnora Krannert, the benefactors and namesake of Krannert, had great influence in the building's design. Minute details, such as the pattern of the teak floors or the perforated aluminum ceilings, are nods to the features of the Midwest or even corrugated cardboard, Herman Krannert's most famous invention.
From the large lobby we progressed to the second level, where all the "behind-the-scenes" work takes place for the various performances. The second level is on even ground with the stages of each of the performance halls. We were given a close look at the underbelly of Krannert, as we saw where costumes and props were created for each of the shows and also got to see "backstage" of the Tryon Festival Theatre, which we later learned is often used for plays and musicals.
Returning to the first level, we were shown the great hall, the largest and most impressive of the five theaters. The great hall is capable of seating over two thousand for the many instrumental performances that it hosts. The structure of the great hall was designed with symmetry and acoustics in mind to provide the most ideal performance hall imaginable. There was such attention to detail that each corresponding wooden panel from the two sides of the hall was taken from the same tree to limit the variation in sound and reverberation. We learned that there is even a mock door on the second level to maintain symmetry, though its handle had to be removed due to the hazard it presented in the event of a fire. It's pretty neat considering I'll have the chance to perform in the great hall come April.
Our last stop on the tour was the audience level of the Tryon Festival Theatre, reserved for plays and musicals. Its curved walls and ceilings are tailored to the acoustics of vocal performances, versus the polygonal and sharp edges and surfaces of Foellinger Great Hall. Similar to the Great Hall, it has two levels, but the coolest takeaway from this theatre was that the outermost platforms of the stage can be altered to provide more seating, more stage, or even a hollow room for the pit orchestra depending on the performance and the attendance. In this theatre we also learned of the "fly space," which can be seen from outside the Krannert Center in the form of the tall rectangular structures. This fly space is simply a wide open area containing various catwalks and ropes and wires and what have you. It's interesting to know that those "towers" are all mostly empty space.
So Krannert was fun! It was very cool to learn more about the building and see what was going on in more than just the lobby level. My newfound understanding of the craftsmanship that went into its construction has given me a new appreciation for the building, and I look forward to returning in the near future.
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