#4 Sublime Acoustics

Things to love about the new Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.

Shakespeare might have written, “The sound’s the thing!” if he had experienced enough poor theater acoustics. Expect first-rate acoustics at the Dr. Phillips Center, says architect Barton Myers. The center’s acoustical “wave wall,” a thick, double concrete wall with air-space cushioning, is the first defense built to prevent lobby noise from reaching the theaters. Inside the Walt Disney Theater, Broadway-quality amplification will envelop audiences, thanks to speaker quality and placement, acoustical panels and “the best Broadway acoustical designers in the world,” Myers says. The cozy Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater is “a very avant-garde, high-tech room —a sophisticated gem,” where natural sound will be pure and clear, he says. Myers predicts the yet-to-come Phase 2 multiform theater will be an “acoustical gem” that transforms in 90 minutes from concert hall to opera house. “It could be one of the great rooms of the world . . . a hall that people will travel to see.”

An arts center open house for the community is set for Nov. 8-9. For details about opening events and shows, go to drphillipscenter.org.