When the R.I. Convention Center Authority announced last week a $14.8 million renovation and addition project for the facility, no one was happier than Michael Abbott. A member of the Veterans Memorial Auditorium Foundation, Abbott has been clamoring for renovations for years. He will oversee the renovations himself with his firm, Northeast Collaborative Architects, winning a bid to undertake the design work.
PBN: Tell us about the renovation project for the VMA.
ABBOTT: The renovation of the Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium – now called simply The Vets – is a multiyear phased construction to the state-owned performance facility. Built in 1946, it is a living memorial honoring the service of Rhode Island’s veterans. The building is used by many different resident groups, including the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra, Festival Ballet, The Opera, the Providence Singers, and FirstWorks to name a few. Many people know it as the place in which their high school graduations took place. It is also used by many touring performers on a contract basis.
The renovations are widely encompassing, providing some benefits for each area of the building: the backstage area updates for the performers, functional improvements for the staff to make operating the building more efficient and less costly, and improvements to the front of the house for our patrons. Something for everyone!
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PBN: Why are the renovations to the backstage areas so important? No one sees them anyway.
ABBOTT: The backstage improvements are urgently needed as the building hasn’t been renovated backstage since it was built. And performer’s requirements and standards have changed a lot since the 1940s. For example, there is only one bathroom backstage, which makes it very inconvenient when there are many performers onstage as was during “The Messiah” performance in December with the full Philharmonic and 100 Providence Singers all using the same facilities. Also, touring performers are shocked that there are no showers backstage either. We hope to bring the building up to Actor’s Equity requirements which are the industry standard.
The ability to get first-rate performers to perform at the building is directly tied to the quality of the facilities backstage. These touring groups are important to the financial success of the facility and help keep rates lower for our resident groups – all of which are nonprofits and rely on fund-raising for their existence.
PBN: Will programming at the theater be affected by the work?
ABBOTT: The construction is being phased to accommodate the schedules of our resident groups. Generally, the theater has few performances over the summer, so the construction will take place over the next three summers. First up are all of the backstage facilities upgrades including all new dressing rooms – with bathrooms, showers and air-conditioning. Also included are a new auditorium sound system and stage lighting.
Second phase during the summer of 2012 will include a new addition to the Park Street side of the building that faces Interstate 95. Here we will build a new loading dock that is level with the stage floor. Currently, the stagehands unload trucks on the Park Street hill and haul everything up by a hoist beam and rigging and swing it into the stage doors located 15 feet above the street. A feat that is quite tricky with a $30,000 concert grand piano swinging in mid-air.
The third phase in 2013 builds a walkway above the new loading dock addition. This will provide performers and staff the ability to connect the rear backstage areas of the building to the front of house without having to go outside and run up the hill in all kinds of weather. Also in this addition, there will be new restrooms for the patrons. Finally, patrons won’t miss the long lines during intermission and miss getting back to their seats in time for the second act.
PBN: I understand that the renovation is a long time coming. Why not undertake the work earlier?
ABBOTT: The work has taken a long time to plan and to phase so that the building could maintain its regular schedules. The project is also being funded over five state fiscal budget years. Working these two together has taken some time to coordinate.
PBN: After this project finishes, what’s next on the wish list?
ABBOTT: After the three phases are complete, the building should be in good shape other than some cosmetics. The seats were refurbished three years ago, and the building was fully [supplied with] sprinklers and alarms, so we should be in good shape for another 30 years.
One wish list item though is to finally connect the building by our glass-enclosed, second floor walkway over Hayes Street to the Providence Place mall – joining us to mall, The Westin Providence, the R.I. Convention Center and all the way to the Dunk. We can hope, after all that is the state’s motto!
