The warm sheen of cherry wood and the shine of copper and aluminum will embellish the interiors of the theaters of Orlando's new performing-arts center, according to renderings of designs by architect Barton Myers and his collaborators.
The arts center released details of its three theaters' interior designs on the same day its board voted to build in phases, with construction going ahead on the 2,700-seat and 300-seat theaters. The third theater — a 1,700-seat hall planned for symphony, ballet and opera — will be delayed until more money can be raised.
The largest theater, to named by the Walt Disney Company because of its $12.5-million gift , will recall the tented outdoor spaces of early amphitheaters, with upper walls the blue of the sky. Wood surfaces will be cherry and mahogany, with the balconies faced in copper. That theater will be used for amplified performances such as Broadway tours and rock concerts.
The smallest theater, to be used by community arts groups, has been designed in a horseshoe shape, with a thrust stage and balconies of aluminum with tiny cut-outs that will cause them to sparkle. Overhead, the lighting bridge will feature contemporary artwork, resembling illuminated stained glass, and its design will be reflected in the theater's 300 seats.
The 1,700-seat hall, which will transform from concert hall to proscenium theater to flat-floored meeting space, will echo some of those textures, with cherry wood and copper shining throughout. A huge copper oculus (a series of concentric circles) and a chandelier will be focal points on high, while copper-fronted balconies will ring the room.
That theater also has been designed with state-of-the-art acoustical features, which — along with its transforming abilities — make it more expensive to build than the largest hall.
"This hall, sound-wise, should be in the top five in the world," said art-center chairman Jim Pugh.
The designs are another indication that backers of the arts center — which is changing its name slightly to the Dr. P. Phillips Orlando Center for the Performing Arts, or the Dr. Phillips Center — are moving ahead with their plans to break ground in the early spring of 2010 and to hold a grand opening toward the end of 2013.