New Redbud Theater Complex

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Project Overview

Overall design

The design for TWU's new Redbud Theater Complex creates a vibrant new home for the Texas Woman’s University Drama Department. It is built within the historic 1953 Hubbard Hall building which originally housed the university’s dining halls. The new facility occupies the two large north dining halls and associated lobby space of Hubbard Hall’s main level. The original dining halls each have an 18 foot ceiling height and large windows on two sides that face out to the wooded TWU campus. In addition to the dining hall areas, a portion of the building’s lower level is used for the Drama program's storage.

The complex is organized by a new undulating wall that stretches from a new accessible entry at the complex’s east end to an informal practice area at the west end. The wall forms a string of public spaces along the windowed north wall of Hubbard Hall. The spaces include the historic stair lobby and central lobby; an east lobby space that provides access to the theater and rehearsal room; and a west lobby space that leads to the scene shop, costume shop, and the educational practice spaces. A back-of-house corridor parallels the undulating wall and connects the Theater and Rehearsal Room with the facility’s greenroom, make-up spaces, academic offices, costume shop, and scene shop.

The shape of the project’s undulating wall results from the functions occurring on either side of the wall. Wider public spaces are created at the central lobby and the entries to the Rehearsal Room and support spaces. At the large theater space and scene shops, the wall moves closer to the existing north wall to allow adequate spaces fro these activities. The undulating wall is inclined to create additional space at the Theater’s upper level. The shifting of the wall surface from plumb to inclined adds a sense of movement to the shape and creates a more rich series of spaces. The wall parallels the windowed north wall of Hubbard Hall. The wall will be visible through the windows during both day and night. The undulating shape has subtle references to a theater curtain, the scrim on a stage, and the exterior brick wall that fronts the university’s retired Redbud Theater.

Stair Lobby and Central Lobby

The Stair and Central Lobby continue their historic role as the primary and formal entry to the north portion of Hubbard Hall. These two spaces largely retain the historic character of the building interior. To better integrate the two spaces, three large openings are created in the wall that divides them to allow the two spaces to be used jointly and to permit daylight from the large Stair Lobby windows into the previously dark Central Lobby. The result is a larger, richer public space in which users will be able to watch the arrival and intermingling of students during the day and theater patrons in the evening. Opposite the Stair Lobby, the projects undulating wall organizes the box office and concession area as well as provides wall area for gallery display. Many of the historic aspects of the lobby spaces are retained including the terrazzo flooring and bronze handrails in the Stair Lobby; the bronze lighting fixtures in both spaces; and the plaster ceiling cornices in both spaces.

East Entry and East Lobby

In addition to the formal entry through the Stair Lobby, the project creates a new accessible entry to the facility at the northeast corner of Hubbard Hall. A sloped walkway and new outdoor stair lead to the East Entry through three new openings in the historic exterior of the building. The protected, recessed new entry, is formed with colored textured glass panels relocated from the Redbud Theater lobby. The East Lobby connects the East Entry to the Central Lobby and provides access to the Theater and Rehearsal Room. The East Lobby is shaped by the undulating wall to the south and the existing north wall with its large full height windows looking out onto the heavily treed area of campus.

West Lobby/ Practice Area

The complex’s West Lobby extends from the Central Lobby to the west end of the facility. The lobby, shaped by the undulating wall and the existing north wall, provides access to the facility’s support spaces. At its west end, the lobby widens into an informal practice area for educational uses. Large windows on two sides make this practice area an ideal location for a variety of informal educational activities.

Redbud Theater Complex

The new Redbud Theater Complex is a 120-seat proscenium venue that can serve a variety of performance and educational purposes. The room is a finished theater space combining both fixed seating on stepped risers and loose seats along the upper gallery for a total capacity of 120 seats depending on the configuration. The combination of a steep seating area with the surrounding gallery creates a very intimate theater ideally suited to student performances. The theater combines the frontal proscenium arrangement with flexibility of educational theaters. The adaptability of the space includes a variable proscenium opening that allows for multiple performance types; the ability to extend the playing area beyond the proscenium opening into the house; numerous front-of-house lighting positions; and the ability to use the house’s upper gallery as part of the playing area. In the theater area the existing ceiling has been removed to expose the building’s roof structure creating a larger space more suited to the acoustical requirements of the space’s multiple uses. A unique aspect of the theater is the proscenium wall which incorporates fluted glass panels from the ceiling construction of the existing dining halls. The glass panels create an acoustical reflector over the stage area to enhance speech intelligibility and are backlit to provide dramatic lighting before performances.

Rehearsal Room/ Classroom

The Rehearsal Room serves as the primary classroom space in the Hubbard Hall facility. Its size allows for small performances and provides the ability to recreate the theater stage’s playing area for rehearsals. Like the theater stage, the floor in this room is constructed on flexible pads that allow all theatrical uses and can be used for dance. Large windows on the east wall provide natural light to the space. Mechanized shades provide control of the natural light for the various needs of the room. The room is designed to have a suspended pipe grid for theatrical lighting as well as a mirrored wall with dance barre.

Practice Room/ Classroom

The new Redbud Theater Complex’s Practice Room is a uniquely shaped space that serves a variety of educational and practice uses. The room’s north side is shaped by the tilted undulating wall creating a larger acoustical volume for the room. The asymmetrical shape of the room also enhances the acoustics by preventing echoes that typically occur in rectangular rooms.

Scene Shop/ Classroom

The Scene Shop is located at the far west end of the theater facility. Its high ceiling and large windows create a very pleasant space for the multiple activities that occur in the Scene Shop. Included in the shop is an office for the Technical Director and a small shop for maintenance and repair of the performance lighting equipment.

Costume Shop

The Costume Shop is made up of two spaces: the shop itself for the design and construction of costumes and the costume laundry. The shop includes lay-out tables, computer equipment, and sewing machines. The laundry contains the washer, dryer, and dyeing sink for the costumes.

Make-up Room/ Classroom

The Make-up Room is a large divisible space used both for educational purposes and for performance preparation. As a single large room, the space can be used for make-up classes seating a total of twenty students at make-up stations. A moveable partition allows the space to be divided into women’s and men’s areas for use before and during performances.
Greenroom/ Conference Room/ Student Lounge

Located immediately off the theater stage and the backstage corridor, the Greenroom serves a variety of functions. It is the central and most active space of the back-of-house area. In addition to the traditional greenroom function of an offstage waiting area for performers, this space is also used for student faculty seminar classes and as a student lounge.

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New Redbud Theater Complex
Redbud Theater Home Project Overview Quick Facts Model Photos Construction Photos Fundraising Campaign (PDF)	TWU Home > New Redbud Theater Complex > Project Overview Project Overview Overall design The design for TWU's new Redbud Theater Complex creates a vibrant new home for the Texas Woman’s University Drama Department. It is built within the historic 1953 Hubbard Hall building which originally housed the university’s dining halls. The new facility occupies the two large north dining halls and associated lobby space of Hubbard Hall’s main level. The original dining halls each have an 18 foot ceiling height and large windows on two sides that face out to the wooded TWU campus. In addition to the dining hall areas, a portion of the building’s lower level is used for the Drama program's storage. The complex is organized by a new undulating wall that stretches from a new accessible entry at the complex’s east end to an informal practice area at the west end. The wall forms a string of public spaces along the windowed north wall of Hubbard Hall. The spaces include the historic stair lobby and central lobby; an east lobby space that provides access to the theater and rehearsal room; and a west lobby space that leads to the scene shop, costume shop, and the educational practice spaces. A back-of-house corridor parallels the undulating wall and connects the Theater and Rehearsal Room with the facility’s greenroom, make-up spaces, academic offices, costume shop, and scene shop. The shape of the project’s undulating wall results from the functions occurring on either side of the wall. Wider public spaces are created at the central lobby and the entries to the Rehearsal Room and support spaces. At the large theater space and scene shops, the wall moves closer to the existing north wall to allow adequate spaces fro these activities. The undulating wall is inclined to create additional space at the Theater’s upper level. The shifting of the wall surface from plumb to inclined adds a sense of movement to the shape and creates a more rich series of spaces. The wall parallels the windowed north wall of Hubbard Hall. The wall will be visible through the windows during both day and night. The undulating shape has subtle references to a theater curtain, the scrim on a stage, and the exterior brick wall that fronts the university’s retired Redbud Theater. Stair Lobby and Central Lobby The Stair and Central Lobby continue their historic role as the primary and formal entry to the north portion of Hubbard Hall. These two spaces largely retain the historic character of the building interior. To better integrate the two spaces, three large openings are created in the wall that divides them to allow the two spaces to be used jointly and to permit daylight from the large Stair Lobby windows into the previously dark Central Lobby. The result is a larger, richer public space in which users will be able to watch the arrival and intermingling of students during the day and theater patrons in the evening. Opposite the Stair Lobby, the projects undulating wall organizes the box office and concession area as well as provides wall area for gallery display. Many of the historic aspects of the lobby spaces are retained including the terrazzo flooring and bronze handrails in the Stair Lobby; the bronze lighting fixtures in both spaces; and the plaster ceiling cornices in both spaces. East Entry and East Lobby In addition to the formal entry through the Stair Lobby, the project creates a new accessible entry to the facility at the northeast corner of Hubbard Hall. A sloped walkway and new outdoor stair lead to the East Entry through three new openings in the historic exterior of the building. The protected, recessed new entry, is formed with colored textured glass panels relocated from the Redbud Theater lobby. The East Lobby connects the East Entry to the Central Lobby and provides access to the Theater and Rehearsal Room. The East Lobby is shaped by the undulating wall to the south and the existing north wall with its large full height windows looking out onto the heavily treed area of campus. West Lobby/ Practice Area The complex’s West Lobby extends from the Central Lobby to the west end of the facility. The lobby, shaped by the undulating wall and the existing north wall, provides access to the facility’s support spaces. At its west end, the lobby widens into an informal practice area for educational uses. Large windows on two sides make this practice area an ideal location for a variety of informal educational activities. Redbud Theater Complex The new Redbud Theater Complex is a 120-seat proscenium venue that can serve a variety of performance and educational purposes. The room is a finished theater space combining both fixed seating on stepped risers and loose seats along the upper gallery for a total capacity of 120 seats depending on the configuration. The combination of a steep seating area with the surrounding gallery creates a very intimate theater ideally suited to student performances. The theater combines the frontal proscenium arrangement with flexibility of educational theaters. The adaptability of the space includes a variable proscenium opening that allows for multiple performance types; the ability to extend the playing area beyond the proscenium opening into the house; numerous front-of-house lighting positions; and the ability to use the house’s upper gallery as part of the playing area. In the theater area the existing ceiling has been removed to expose the building’s roof structure creating a larger space more suited to the acoustical requirements of the space’s multiple uses. A unique aspect of the theater is the proscenium wall which incorporates fluted glass panels from the ceiling construction of the existing dining halls. The glass panels create an acoustical reflector over the stage area to enhance speech intelligibility and are backlit to provide dramatic lighting before performances. Rehearsal Room/ Classroom The Rehearsal Room serves as the primary classroom space in the Hubbard Hall facility. Its size allows for small performances and provides the ability to recreate the theater stage’s playing area for rehearsals. Like the theater stage, the floor in this room is constructed on flexible pads that allow all theatrical uses and can be used for dance. Large windows on the east wall provide natural light to the space. Mechanized shades provide control of the natural light for the various needs of the room. The room is designed to have a suspended pipe grid for theatrical lighting as well as a mirrored wall with dance barre. Practice Room/ Classroom The new Redbud Theater Complex’s Practice Room is a uniquely shaped space that serves a variety of educational and practice uses. The room’s north side is shaped by the tilted undulating wall creating a larger acoustical volume for the room. The asymmetrical shape of the room also enhances the acoustics by preventing echoes that typically occur in rectangular rooms. Scene Shop/ Classroom The Scene Shop is located at the far west end of the theater facility. Its high ceiling and large windows create a very pleasant space for the multiple activities that occur in the Scene Shop. Included in the shop is an office for the Technical Director and a small shop for maintenance and repair of the performance lighting equipment. Costume Shop The Costume Shop is made up of two spaces: the shop itself for the design and construction of costumes and the costume laundry. The shop includes lay-out tables, computer equipment, and sewing machines. The laundry contains the washer, dryer, and dyeing sink for the costumes. Make-up Room/ Classroom The Make-up Room is a large divisible space used both for educational purposes and for performance preparation. As a single large room, the space can be used for make-up classes seating a total of twenty students at make-up stations. A moveable partition allows the space to be divided into women’s and men’s areas for use before and during performances. Greenroom/ Conference Room/ Student Lounge Located immediately off the theater stage and the backstage corridor, the Greenroom serves a variety of functions. It is the central and most active space of the back-of-house area. In addition to the traditional greenroom function of an offstage waiting area for performers, this space is also used for student faculty seminar classes and as a student lounge. Conference Room/ Student Lounge
	Texas Woman's University Institutional Development Denton, TX 76204 (940) 898-3863 (940) 898-3877 fax TWU Home \| A-Z Sitemap \| Directory \| Search \| TWU Privacy Policy \| TWU Accessibility Policy This page was last updated on Wednesday, January 10, 2007.