Lynn University’s newest state-of-the-art facility, the Wold Performing Arts Center in the heart of Boca Raton, Fla., features superb acoustics; a modern lighting system; a large, light-filled lobby; and flexible space utilization that is well-suited for dramatic productions, concerts and other cultural events.
The facility was designed to serve the university as a teaching environment, as well as the community as a unique, income-generating venue.
The design conveys a shared sense of participation of audience and performer. Patrons are welcomed by a two-story, light-filled lobby. A salon for receptions and dinners opens up to terraces along the southern side with views of the campus, and a separate studio provides space for small-group performances. The main theater has the feel of an intimate performance space in which the audience shares the excitement and immediacy of the performers.
The center includes a 750-seat theater, black-box theater, scene shop, dressing rooms, green room, prefunction room and other support spaces.
The audiovisual system provides clear intelligible sound to each seat and can be reconfigured to meet the demands of the different types of productions. The audiovisual system complements the architectural acoustics design, which employed velour curtains in the upper volume to maximize the room’s acoustical flexibility as cost-effectively as possible.
Newman Architects (New Haven, Conn.) was architect for the project. Acentech (Cambridge, Mass.) designed the audiovisual system.
