Mill Mountain Theatre (MMT) has announced the start of a major overhaul of its main-stage technology systems including the first replacement of all elements of the sound system in more than 30 years. It is the first phase of a project that also will replace antiquated lighting fixtures and controls with more efficient and environmentally better LED lights.
Work on the project began immediately after MMT closed its production of Children of Eden on Dec. 21. A crew from Stage Sound, a local contractor and supplier of stage technology, has demolished the old system, removing wiring that has been in use since MMT opened at Center in the Square in 1983.
“Our audiences will not know what they have been missing until we engage the new sound equipment next spring for Hairspray,” said Karen Gierchak, MMT’s technical director. “Sound from the stage will come alive and be evenly distributed to every seat in the theatre. The level of improvement will be stunning in comparison to what the old speakers could deliver.”
The project is estimated to cost a total of $230,000. The first phase is made possible by three grants recently awarded to Mill Mountain Theatre and supplemented by donations from individuals. In November MMT was awarded $30,000 from the Roanoke Women’s Foundation for this project. That money was added to $30,000 received this summer from the Helen S. and Charles G. Patterson Jr. Charitable Foundation Trust, and a $60,000 pledge payable over three years from the Norfolk Southern Foundation. Combined with other contributions, the Roanoke regional theatre has about half of the expected cost to completely replace all technical systems in the Trinkle Main Stage, the ultimate goal of this project.
The current work will include installation of wiring and infrastructure to support new lighting fixtures, thus saving on the cost of labor for the full project. The lighting improvements will be completed gradually as money from grants and designated gifts becomes available.
“This is work that has been deferred for much too long,” said Ginger Poole, MMT’s Producing artistic director. “The sound and lighting systems we are using are a patchwork of begged and borrowed items to supplement our equipment that largely is too old to be repaired.” Some stage lighting fixtures already were used equipment when MMT opened at Center in the Square in 1983, meaning parts are no longer available to keep using them. Sound controls are analog rather than today’s all-digital; most of the lighting fixtures use conventional bulbs rather than LEDs, which now are the standard for professional theatres. To produce the last two seasons we have had to borrow equipment from Elon University in North Carolina and other venues in Western Virginia or rent equipment, which has increased costs of operations,” Poole added.
The technical improvements also are expected to have an impact beyond Mill Mountain Theatre. “These changes will make our main-stage auditorium more appealing and more usable to partner arts organizations for their performances and to local businesses and conferences for state-of-the-art presentations,” Poole continued. “This project will have wide and long-term effects on the local economy.”
Mill Mountain Theatre Conservatory, the theatre’s education wing, will benefit from the new equipment. Teenage students who are learning theatre technology in preparation for careers as sound and lighting designers, will now learn with equipment they can expect to use in their initial jobs. There will also be environmental improvements and energy savings by operating equipment that generates less heat, thereby requiring less air conditioning for the comfort of audiences and actors.
“I cannot think of a better way for Mill Mountain Theatre to mark its 50th Anniversary Season,” Poole said. “The project fulfills genuine community needs by enabling MMT to equip its facilities to host more events.”
