Krannert Center . About the Center - About the Center

College of Fine and Applied Arts | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

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Backstage - Facilities

Facilities

Staff

Tours

While most visitors only see the four indoor theatres and lobby, Krannert Center also boasts impressive backstage facilities. Behind-the-scenes there are rehearsal rooms for opera, choral music, orchestra, dance, and theatre; scenery, costume, audio, prop, and lighting shops; design studios; departmental offices; and classrooms. These facilities are most important to Krannert Center's educational mission --serving University productions and training performing arts students. A stroll through the production level of Krannert Center almost any day or night of the week offers an interesting portrait and soundscape of students at work alongside professionals in our shops and design facilities, the excitement of auditions and rehearsals in progress, student volunteers preparing theatres for performances, and classes being taught.

Level 2 of Krannert Center is the primary production level. On this level you will find five large rehearsal rooms: the Drama Rehearsal Room, (adjacent to and the same size as the Colwell Playhouse stage), the Dance Rehearsal Room (completely mirrored with permanent barres and a sprung dance floor), the Opera Rehearsal Room (adjacent to and the same size as the Tryon Festival Theatre stage), the Choral Rehearsal Room (with permanent choral risers and shell), and the Orchestra Rehearsal Room (sized to match the stage of the Foellinger Great Hall).

Level 2 also is home to five professionally staffed shops. The Scene Shop includes metal, paint, and welding areas; the floating construction of the shop and its thick doors provide noise insulation. The Costume Shop, equipped with sewing machines, cutting and work tables, and laundry and pressing facilities, also has rooms used exclusively for dyeing, making wigs, and making hats. The Costume Shop produces nearly 1,000 complete costumes each year. The Prop Shop is equipped for small-scale construction projects, such as creating breakaway chairs, reupholstering furniture, and rigging props for special effects. The Prop Shop also provides items ranging from curtains and rugs to furniture and personal belongings for the many shows that take place on Krannert Center stages. The director of the Prop Shop must have an Illinois gun registration to handle some of the firearms and weaponry in our vaults, and guns must be registered with UI Campus Police. The Audio Shop and Lighting Design Shop are design studios full of drafting and computer equipment to help create the sound and light effects for our resident productions. These shops are also heavily involved with Marquee productions, taking care of sound and lighting needs sent to Krannert Center by our guest artists.

Level 2 provides backstage access to all four theatres. It is also where you'll find our loading dock, which can accommodate two 45-foot semi-trailers inside the building.

Smaller rehearsal spaces, several classrooms, and a television studio are found in the Level 3 annex. Office spaces on Level 4 are home to the UI Department of Theatre and the School of Music Opera Program. The Krannert Center Student Association has its office on Level 2, and additional offices, storage spaces, and costume/prop vaults are scattered on all levels of Krannert Center.

Costume Rental Service
Boasting a collection of over 75,000 hanging pieces, Krannert Center makes its costume collection available for community, theatrical, and educational use. Inquiries and viewing appointments can be made by contacting the rentals manager at 217/333-6709.

Prop Rental Service
With four storage locations both inside Krannert Center and in other University of Illinois campus facilities, Krannert Center's Prop Shop inventory ranges from sofas to coffins, lamps to basins, weaponry to toys. Prop Shop rentals are by appointment on Mondays and Fridays from mid-August through May. Contact the Prop Shop staff at 217/333-9720.

Rehearsal and Classroom Spaces
The Drama Rehearsal Room has a 45-foot by 60-foot sprung linoleum dance floor with a mirrored wall. Dance barres are available.

The Dance Rehearsal Room has a 45-foot by 72-foot sprung hardwood dance floor with mirrored walls and permanent dance barres. There is also an observation balcony that seats 75 people. Special permission is required to use this room.

The Opera Rehearsal Room has a 45-foot by 72-foot hardwood floor, and the Tryon Festival Theatre floor plan is painted on the floor.

The Choral Rehearsal Room has a 54-foot by 72-foot hardwood floor. Choral risers and a choral shell are permanently mounted, providing seating for 100 people.

The Orchestra Rehearsal Room has a 54-foot by 72-foot hardwood floor with flexible seating.

Studio I has a 15-foot by 33-foot sprung linoleum dance floor. There are small frosted windows along the ceiling that cannot be blocked out.

Studio II (A and B) has a 60-foot by 33-foot sprung linoleum dance floor. A movable wall can separate the room into two 30-foot by 33-foot rooms. One wall is lined with mirrors.

The TV Studio, a 24-foot by 35-foot space, is a fully equipped studio with control room. Special permission is required to use this room.

Ensemble Rooms (A and B) are classrooms with 15-foot by 25-foot hardwood floors. Each room has about 20 combination desk/chairs.

The Audio Visual Room is a 15-foot by 31-foot classroom with 40 movable desks and chairs. The audiovisual equipment requires special permission for access. The inventory includes 35mm slide projectors; a 16mm film projector; and Beta, VHS, and 3/4-inch VCRs with 21-inch monitors. There are two walls with chalkboards, and one with a bulletin board.

The Design Center is a 20-foot by 34-foot space, set up as a classroom with drafting tables, two chalkboards, and a bulletin board.