Hancher Auditorium was one of the most popular venues for touring groups in the region, and the flood forced the student and traveling groups that normally used the venue to move into nearby facilities.
But this week, with the grand opening of the new Hancher Auditorium, the University of Iowa and the people of Iowa City once again have a magnetic cultural centre to call their own.
Only months after the flood, Theatre Projects began working with the university to determine how they would recover, rebuild, and move forward - not only regarding the 40-plus-year-old Hancher Auditorium, but also the Voxman School of Music and Clapp Recital Hall, which were attached to auditorium.
Working with the university and Hancher staff, Theatre Projects conducted a series of studies to sketch out a path forward. It was determined that Hancher Auditorium would be demolished and in its place, a new auditorium would be built.
As the project progressed, Theatre Projects joined a team that included Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects (design architect), OPN Architects (executive architect), and Kirkegaard Associates (acoustician), to design and build a new facility. The design team placed the new building on a 500-year floodplain and determined that the School of Music would be separated from the facility cluster and moved across campus.
After eight years, the university's vision of a resurrected Hancher has taken shape -The University of Iowa and the entire region once again have a cultural cornerstone in the new $132m Hancher Auditorium. A beloved facility has not only been reborn, it has been reinvented and modernized, providing a venue that is more adaptable, accessible, versatile, and comfortable than its predecessor.
Inside the new 192,000-square-foot facility, many of the elements that made the old Hancher Auditorium one of the most popular touring houses in the Midwest and a cherished venue for student performances have been retained. At the same time, the venue has been updated with modern amenities, mechanized theatre systems, and state-of-the art audio and video equipment.
Theatre Projects' project manager, Millie Dixon, who was formerly a technical director at Hancher Auditorium, said, "The project was all about trying to accommodate spaces appropriately. We had to give them everything they wanted in pre-approved square footage. The team was very clever in navigating the government rules, rearranging things so they fit into an awkward space, and being flexible in every aspect of our approach."
The new auditorium also features a number of new mechanized systems that will make moving seating, sets, and performers much easier. The auditorium features an orchestra pit with two motorized forestage extensions, and the lift-assisted house mix position can be lowered beneath the floor where seating wagon can be swapped in its place.
The adjustability of the auditorium's lifts not only provides versatility and ease of movement, but it can also make the venue a more accessible space. According to Dixon, one requirement of the project was that any student should be able to gain access to the stage from the auditorium then cross and exit the stage. Meeting this condition, Theatre Projects designed side seating boxes which were built on mechanically assisted platforms that can lower to audience level, allowing persons in wheelchairs easy access to the stage.
Much more than just a roadhouse, the new building is also the largest performance venue for the University of Iowa's music and dance students, and it will play host to countless student performances and university events. The building features support spaces including administrative offices, a costume and scene shop, and a rehearsal hall.
"The new Hancher is a beautiful venue, and not just because it overlooks the Iowa River and a picturesque campus," Scott Crossfield, Theatre Projects' theatre designer, said. "From the three-story lobby to the auditorium, every part of it was done exceptionally well. We had a great design team, and they were able to give the university a building that will be just as important to the region as the old one was. I think people will still be excited to go there 40 years from now."
The opening public performance at the new Hancher Auditorium will feature Steve Martin and Martin Short on Saturday, 24 September.
(Jim Evans)
