Miller Theatre Complex, University of Oregon
In every way imaginable, this project has changed the life of my department. For faculty and students, it has been such a deep improvement of our programs and aspirations, I can hardly recall how we managed to make anything work before.
John B. Schmor
Theatre Arts Department Head, University of Oregon
Miller Theatre Complex, University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
25,000 SF
Completed 2009
Client Notes
Provide a renewed facility to address theatre department growth, with flexible and specialized performance spaces and an expanded, welcoming lobby. The design must integrate with its historic campus context, be derived from extensive and collaborative user group engagement, and unify the various components of the theatre complex.
Designer Notes
With the addition of the Hope Theatre, the department now has a flexible venue for a wide variety of audience and stage relationships, where the performance area, seating, and lighting can quickly and easily be reconfigured. A new two-story glass lobby is a transparent portal that welcomes the community and connects the historic Villard Hall with the 1949 Robinson Theatre. The lobby space accommodates a range of events, from ticket sales to pre-show activities, opening night receptions, and theater intermissions. In the warmer months, the exterior terraces serve as an extension of the lobby, allowing visitors to flow in and out of the tree-shaded landscape. The renovation also improves back-of-house spaces, adds a new scene studio and costume shop, and improves accessibility and connectivity in the theatre complex.
Recognition
AIA Portland Citation Award, 2011
Featured in Auditoria Magazine, 2012
People
Jane Barker / Nicholas Hemmer / Amie Bates / Jamie Watson / James Beasley / Alexander Lungershausen / Jonah Cohen / Charles Dorn
Thomas Hacker, Design Principal
Annie Mahoney, Project Manager
