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.