Re: BRA approves Emerson College's Paramount Center
yeah it may just be the photo, but orange in a theater... seriously?
At the theater I work for we just had a huge argument about what color to paint the back wall. It was a maroon, but it took away from the scenery, so we painted it a dark blue instead which has worked out nicely.
I guess it may just be that I perfer black box style theaters to the old proscenium ones that are being renovated. They are smaller, more intimate and more of a challenge to work in. As a scenic designer I do not want to have to compete with the house visually.
The old ornate interiors were great when most productions started with a closed curtain so that audiences had something to heighten their senses before the production, but nowadays, most shows have the set in full view as soon as the audience enters. Now I do not know how most plays will be presented in this space, but I would assume they would go with the curtain open, unless the curtain itself is as ornate as the theater is.
Don't get me wrong I think that the paintings are beautiful (from what I can see of them) and I applaud the restoration work. If the paintings were further on house right or left I would be fine, but with them right at the proscenium with the proscenium itself being painted bright orange, I think it will just be distracting. Even the Palais Garnier, the most ornate theater I know of, uses muted colors around its proscenium. (
http://oberon481.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c4e3853ef012876729026970c-pi )
It is just my taste, and if the picture does make everything look louder than it really is, I'm sorry for the rants.