Montco's Blue Bell Campus Theater Gets 'Bold' Redesign

Press release from the Montgomery County Community College:

September 13, 2023

Founded in 1964, Montgomery County Community College, has provided over 90,000 alumni
with exemplary, affordable, accessible educations. Acknowledged as one of this country’s
most technologically advanced community colleges, MCCC has completed a significant
renovation of its Science Center and the creation of a state-of-the-art theater as
the focal point of that building. Spillman-Farmer Architects was retained to design and supervise the Science Center restoration, Watchdog Real Estate and Project Management oversaw the project, Penn Builders, Inc. commenced the construction, and WSDG Walters-Storyk Design Group was awarded the design commission for the acoustic, audio,
rigging, lighting and video systems design and total reconfiguration of the original
space into a newly imagined, ultra-modern 563-seat theater.

The Renovation

The ambitious “gut-renovation” of the MCCC Science Building and construction of the
theater commenced in 2019 just as COVID threw the entire planet into unanticipated
chaos. Thanks to WSDG’s extensive experience in remote global design collaboration,
company Partner/Director of Production, Romina Larregina, coordinated the effort to
generate detailed plans for every facet of the handsomely redesigned theater. A comprehensive
demolition, renovation, and reconstruction work schedule was launched, and the project
moved into high gear in 2020.

The new theater represents the primary element of this impressive transformation and
was swiftly identified as the anchor for the rebranding of MCCC’s Arts and Culture
Departments and their programming as the Montco Cultural Center. WSDG submitted a
plan to reconfigure three smaller contiguous lecture halls into the newly imagined
563-seat theater (63 at the new balcony – 500 in the main auditorium). Creative planning
sessions for the previously non-existent balcony led to a cost-effective salvaging
proposal for transforming an existing flexible catwalk into a hybrid infrastructure
that now serves as the skeleton for the new balcony.

WSDG Project Manager/Systems Designer Sergio Molho reports that the redesigned theater
was conceived as a multi-purpose venue capable of facilitating live theatrical performances
concerts and lectures, as well as screenings of films and educational videos on projection
screens both hung from the ceiling and mounted in front of the stage. The project
was completed in the spring of 2023 and has quickly earned its place as a focal point
for campus and community activities.

The Acoustic Perspective

“When I consider the architecture involved, I think the biggest change was the acoustical
direction the architects were taking. That was changed early in the design phase,”
said Celeste Schwartz, Vice President, MCCC Pottstown Campus, Information Technology
and Institutional Effectiveness, who oversaw the construction of the theater project.

David Ivory, MCCC Director of Sound Recording and Music Technology concurs. “We discussed
our options and preferences in great detail before we decided exactly what we were
going to do. Once we made those decisions, they didn’t change. We were particularly
concerned with the sound delivery to the newly imagined ‘Sky Boxes,’ and with WSDG’s
guidance those acoustic issues were resolved.”

“The balcony represents one of the major accomplishments of the entire redesign program,”
said MCCC Senior Director of Arts and Culture, Brent Woods who oversees theater operations
and was deeply involved in the planning and design of the theater renovation. “The
physical changes were dramatic,” he says. “The original building was constructed
fifty years ago. But now we’ve got left and right-side sky boxes with 24 seats in each, and an additional
15 seats in the VIP section. None of which previously existed,” Woods points out.
“The orchestra seats 500, so we went from a 398-seat house total to 563 seats which
is a substantial gain.”

“In addition to new performance opportunities for the campus and community, the newly
renovated theater will provide real-world learning experiences for students.

We made a point of selecting first tier gear for this theater. For example, our live
mixing console is a DIGICO SD7T which is designed specifically for live theater sound
mixing. This means our students are being trained on extremely contemporary technology,”
David Ivory said. “They’ll be shooting and editing video as well as recording and
mixing audio performances, and that’s going to make a difference when they interview
for professional jobs. The theater will provide invaluable opportunities for students
to engage in professional production, which is unique for a college,” he adds.

“WSDG proved themselves to be an extremely professional organization, and I found
them very easy to work with,” Schwartz adds. “They listened to problems we encountered,
and they solved them. Back in 2018 Romina Larregina had worked closely with MCCC
Music Assistant Professor and Coordinator of Sound Recording and Music Technology,
Michael Kelly and SRT Director David Ivory to develop our new recording studio. That
project was a great success and led to our decision to return to them for this new
assignment. We were confident in their level of professionalism and commitment, and
they did not disappoint.”

“We all have different areas of expertise,” Ivory points out. “I’m very tuned into
music recording and mixing. Brent Woods is our theater expert. None of us is shy
about asking questions, and WSDG was extremely helpful in explaining and clarifying.
I was particularly impressed with Romina’s vast technical knowledge and with Sergio
Molho’s design work and enthusiasm. All the WSDG people who came out to perform tests
and other highly technical work them were simply terrific.”

Woods concurs. “This was the first time I’ve ever gone through a process like this,’
he says. “Watching these people come up with answers and creative solutions was impressive.
Watching Celeste (Schwartz) take people through the theater and seeing David (Ivory)
conduct visitors through the tech areas was not just an education, it was genuinely
exciting.”

The Punchlist Perspective

“What really capped this experience for me was what happened at its conclusion.” Schwartz
concludes. “I watched Sergio Molho take a ‘Punch List’ walk throughout the complex.
He was spot-on, alerting the tech team folks, (not WSDG), to everything from missing
faceplates to unfastened wires, the construction/ installation support staff, the
rigging people, etc. He pointed out every detail that needed to be addressed in an
extremely professional way. Over the course of those last few days of dotting ‘i’s’
and crossing ‘t’s,’ his professionalism was exemplary, and they just fell in line.”

Final Thoughts

“The ultimate compliment to any professional is to have a satisfied client invite
you back for a second or third project,” says WSDG founding partner John Storyk.
“MCCC is the perfect example of that ideal situation. Our first commission for them
in 2018 was a recording studio Control Room/Mixing Studio. They had selected an ideal location for the room. Romina Larregina and the rest
of our design team came up with the right design solutions, and the entire project
was a case study in timing and execution. That’s the goal we always strive to reach.”

Photos by NGS Productions

ABOUT WSDG

WSDG (Walters-Storyk Design Group) is a 12-time NAMM TEC award-winning international
firm specializing in architectural acoustic consulting and media systems engineering.
Pioneering architect/acoustician, John Storyk (AIA) founded the company in 1969 with
the creation of Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Lady Studios in New York City’s Greenwich
Village. WSDG provides a wide portfolio of design and consulting services that support
architectural projects throughout all phases of project development. Our international
team of consultants have provided timely, detailed and cost-effective advice on highly
sensitive and complex architectural construction and renovation projects, from small
but critical retrofits to challenging ground up construction projects. WSDG has extensive
experience with sensitive architectural issues including historical renovations, additions
and new construction projects in the media production, corporate, government, transportation,
education, broadcasting and cultural / entertainment sectors.

Past WSDG clients include Jay-Z, Bruce Springsteen, Alicia Keys, J Cole and Jack Antonoff,
corporate entities such as Spotify, Sony, CBS, Novartis, IBM, and global governmental
AV installations as well as educational institutions such as Berklee College of Music,
UCLA, University of Music Vienna, and NYU.

This press release was produced by the Montgomery County Community College. The views expressed here are the author’s own.