Saturday, December 15, 2007

"State" Gets an Update

This is kind of exciting, from the NYC Opera press release:

NEW YORK CITY BALLET AND NEW YORK CITY OPERA 
AGREE TO IMPROVEMENTS IN THE NEW YORK STATE THEATER 


The Boards of Directors of the New York City Ballet and the New York City Opera have agreed to a plan to renovate the New York State Theater, their joint home at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. The companies' goal is to improve audience amenities at the State Theater and create a state-of-the-art environment for producing music and dance. The City Center of Music and Drama, the leaseholder of the theater, will meet to approve the plan.

Elements of the plan include new seats and carpets, an enlarged orchestra pit with a mechanical lift, a new stage lighting system, and new audiovisual and media capability. Under the agreement, construction is to begin in summer 2008, with Philip Johnson's original design for the theater and auditorium maintained in its current form.

The renovation project is preliminary estimated to cost $35 to $40 million including design fees, and the two companies will undertake a capital campaign to fund the renovations.

"We are extraordinarily pleased to be underway on a plan to make the State Theater an even more welcoming and satisfying environment for all of our audiences, and to be able to do so by Fall 2009, the beginning of the first season to be planned by Gerard Mortier, City Opera’s General Manager-Designate," stated Susan L. Baker, Chair of the New York City Opera.

"We are looking forward to completion of this work, which will give our audience an enhanced experience in the theater and enable us to expand our reach with new audiovisual and media capabilities," remarked Barry Friedberg, Chair of the New York City Ballet.

The design phase of the project will commence immediately. The New York State Theater will be closed following New York City Ballet's spring 2008 season, which concludes on June 29, and again during a portion of the City Opera's spring 2009 season to accommodate construction.

New York City Ballet's 2008/2009 winter schedule, which will begin with the Company's annual Opening Night Benefit on Tuesday, November 25, will not be affected, nor will New York City Ballet’s spring 2009 season.

New York City Opera is currently planning a non-traditional 2008-2009 season which may include operas in concert, semi-staged productions, educational outreach as well as its annual showcase of VOX: Showcasing American Composers, produced at various venues in the city. Actual plans for the 2008-2009 season will be announced in February 2008.

New York State Theater
Philip Johnson, 1964

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