A Chicago Theatre Design Center?
To the Chicago area Scenic, Lighting, Costume, and Sound Designers out there: If a theatre design center was available, with computers containing up-to-date versions of most design, paperwork, and show control software, would you be willing to pay a fee to have access to it? If it included sound playback and lighting visualization studios, large format printers and plotters, and the ability to save your work on-site, while still being able to download it over the internet? Vote by clicking on the link:
Click here to vote. Click here to see the current results (This is a work-a-round link. The link provided on the poll itself does not seem to work)
This idea sprung from the mind of John Horan, who told my wife Ruth about it at this year’s USITT conference last week. More people are jumping aboard as I write this.
In its most basic sense, it would be a semi collaborative lab: designers able to bounce ideas off each other as they work on their own projects. In a technology sense, it would offer the most top-of-the-line programs available, as well as most other programs, for generating plans, plots, patterns, and paperwork. Visualization and show playback/programming software would also be available, and eventually sound playback and lighting studios.
The main problem and big question for a project like this is money. How would it be funded? First to mind is membership fees, both professional and student levels. Preferably as low as possible. Second is institutional membership: theatres and companies would pay a higher fee than individual members to allow their designers access.
So, what do you think? Would you be willing to pay to use computers and systems specifically intended for theatrical design? How much would you be willing to pay per month, or per year?
Hudson & Gaines
While I don’t live in Chicago, I just wanted to add that this is a fantastic idea. I’ve been battling (as I’m sure many in the industry are) this issue myself: how to keep up with technology with prices being what they are?
$1200 for VectorWorks, tack on another couple of hundred for LightWright…not to mention the growing projection/video software that has become so prevalent in theatre markets.
I think institutions would benefit greatly from this – they’re not feeling constant pressure to upgrade/purchase software all the time, and yet still get the benefits at a fraction of the cost.
Hats off to John and yourself for trying to make something like this a reality.
I’m a young designer with a couple of professional shows under my belt, but I still don’t have the income stream necessary to justify purchasing a full compliment of supplies necessary to do my job. You can’t even find places to plot full-sized draftings in most places these days!
I know that new and infrequent designers and technicians often resort to using less-than-legal software just to get the job done (You can’t exactly plot in MSPaint!) If nothing else, the establishment of a design center would give these individuals access to legal software and increase the market for software makers.
I would be more willing to pay a sitting fee, as opposed to a monthly fee, at least until I become more established, maybe then I could switch to a monthly or yearly fee?
My biggest concern is that I am suburban based. It wouldn’t be reasonable for me to run downtown to draft a quick update, but I would be willing to go in for a whole day of work every couple of weeks.
I think this is a great idea.
I am a recent sound engineering college graduate and interested in learning about sound design.
If you were able to provide some basic instruction occasionally at the facility for beginners and people needing to learn new technology I would be willing to pay a fee for that.
Also as chelsea said I would be looking for a sitting fee at first to use the facility and maybe graduating to a monthly membership if my usage increased.
it IS a great idea, but… (not to be a gloomy Gus, here…) getting the seed money, and getting it all up and running would be a MAMMOTH undertaking, and the overhead would be rather steep, especially just getting it off the ground…. but the sense of community and the cross-pollination of ideas would be wonderful to see.