The Forest Theater Foundation’s NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING on Theater Architect Richard McCann’s “pre-design” for the Forest Theater property

FOREST THEATER & GROUNDS
CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA
MASTER PLAN PROGRAM ELEMENTS
R. F. McCann & Company Architects, Inc.
October 30, 2007

ABSTRACT: At Vista Lobos this past Tuesday afternoon, a NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING sponsored by the Forest Theater Foundation was held for the presentation of their “pre-design” for the Forest Theater property. Three handouts were available to the public, including FOREST THEATER & GROUNDS, OUR VISION for an improved Community Theater and RFM ARCHITECTS. McCann presented an overview of his “pre-design,” basically detailing MASTER PLAN PROGRAM ELEMENTS 1-9b. Later McCann and Walt de Faria, President of the Forest Theater Foundation, responded to questions and concerns raised by audience members. The MASTER PLAN PROGRAM ELEMENTS from the FOREST THEATER & GROUNDS handout and the OUR VISION handout are reproduced. HIGHLIGHTS OF FOREST THEATER FOUNDATION “PRE-DESIGN” PRESENTATION BY THEATER ARCHITECT RICHARD McCANN, HIGHLIGHTS OF SOME ANSWERS TO AUDIENCE QUESTIONS, MAJOR DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE CONGLETON FOREST THEATER FACILITY MASTER PLAN (2001) & FOREST THEATER FOUNDATION “PRE-DESIGN” BY THEATER ARCHITECT RICHARD McCANN and COMMENTS & QUESTIONS are presented.


At Vista Lobos this past Tuesday afternoon, a NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING sponsored by The Forest Theater Foundation was held for the presentation of their “pre-design” for the Forest Theater property. On a table at the entrance, there were three handouts for the public. One handout was the FOREST THEATER & GROUNDS handout which comprised the MASTER PLAN PROGRAM ELEMENTS 1-9b. Another handout was OUR VISION for an improved Community Theater. And the last handout was a five page RFM ARCHITECTS handout which included the Firm’s Profile, Project List and Richard F. McCann’s Resume.

The Forest Theater Foundation President Walt de Faria made a brief statement and then introduced Theater Architect Richard McCann. McCann presented an overview of his “pre-design,” basically detailing MASTER PLAN PROGRAM ELEMENTS 1-9b. Later McCann and de Faria answered questions and concerns raised by audience members. Most of the questions and concerns involved PROGRAM ELEMENT 1. Proposed Sound Booth & Follow Spots, specifically options for decreasing sound projection at the corner of Josselyn Lane and Guadalupe Street and PROGRAM ELEMENT 7. Proposed Additional Parking, specifically the removal of the stone wall, grape stake fence and trees along Mt. View Avenue for parking spaces and the construction of a new retaining wall, et cetera, and “New Meadow Development” in place of the current parking areas in Forest Theater.

Herewith are the MASTER PLAN PROGRAM ELEMENTS from the FOREST THEATER & GROUNDS handout and the OUR VISION handout, as follows:

MASTER PLAN PROGRAM ELEMENTS

1. Proposed Sound Booth & Follow Spots

2. Audience Center – Multiplex Pavilion (includes new Men’s & Women’s Toilets)

3. Stage Additions
a. Dressing Rooms
b. Production Support
c. Scenery Dock (Stage Right & Left)

4. Pedestrian Walkways (grading for ADA accessibility)

5. Emergency Vehicle Access Route/Disabled Access/Scenery Loading

6. a. Seating Form & Benches (proposed stage capacity 550)
b. New Radius Bench Seating

7. Proposed Addition Parking

8. Ticket Sales & Concession

9 a. New Meadow Development
b. New Woodland Canopy of new & existing trees


OUR VISION for an improved Community Theater
A collaborated effort…
Forest Theater Foundation
R. F. McCann & Company Architects

• DEVELOPMENT OF ACCOMMODATIONS on site
– Audience Center-Multi-Pavilion Complex

• SOUND PROPAGATION beyond surrounding edges of the Forest Theater Park

• PATRON COMFORT Including Seating, Sightlines, and Paths-of-Travel

• ACTOR ACCOMMODATIONS on the Mainstage

• ACCOMMODATIONS UNDER the MAINSTAGE for the Childrens’ Experimental Theater (CET)

• ORCHESTRA PIT & PROCUCTION EQUIPMENT Accommodations


HIGHLIGHTS OF FOREST THEATER FOUNDATION “PRE-DESIGN” PRESENTATION BY THEATER ARCHITECT RICHARD McCANN
• President of the Forest Theater Foundation, Walter de Faria stated at the outset that the Congleton Forest Theater Master Plan was consulted, but was deemed deficient from the actor’s point of view. Ergo, the Foundation hired Theater Architect Richard McCann to address those deficiencies.

• Since September 2004, the Forest Theater Foundation has raised $30,000 to fund their Plan to rehabilitate and preserve the Forest Theater.

• Theater Architect Richard McCann gave an overview of his “pre-design;” namely, MASTER PLAN PROGRAM ELEMENTS 1-9. McCann stressed his “pre-design” was to bring the “Forest Theatre into the 21st century.”

• McCann emphasized his “pre-design” encompassed no additional seating and de Faria insisted no intensification of use, that is, no increase in the number of performances or longer season, due to weather as a limiting factor.

• McCann’s plan would extend the stage 14 ft. towards the audience and a traditional orchestra pit under the stage would be constructed. And the audience seats would be moved closer to the stage.

• McCann’s recommendation for sound problems was “technological;” that is, multiple speakers hanging by cable over the audience, approximately 1 speaker per 30-40 audience members. He claimed this would reduce the sound energy by 30% - 40% for low, middle and high frequencies.

• McCann stated the size of the “Multiplex Pavilion,” including Men’s & Women’s Toilets, was necessary in order to meet the requirement for the number of seats per restrooms, approximately 1 toilet per 25-30 audience members.

• McCann cited Olmstead’s theories as influential in his “pre-design” plan; McCann emphasized the ability of individuals to view a green space, “landscape horizon” from the streets around Forest Theater.

• McCann cited building around trees to preserve significant trees; however, McCann’s parking spaces on Mt. View Avenue would require 18 feet of horizontal excavation into the Forest Theater property and necessitate the removal of nine Monterey Pine trees, one Monterey Cypress tree and multiple Coast Live Oak trees.


HIGHLIGHTS OF SOME ANSWERS TO AUDIENCE QUESTIONS
• In response to a question regarding the City’s hiring of a consultant to determine the historicity of the Forest Theater property, City Administrator Rich Guillen responded that Meta Bunse, the historical consultant, has made a preliminary determination that the site is historical at the local level, but the structures are not historical. (Meta Bunse, Partner, JRP Historical Consulting)

• The majority of questions and concerns involved the MASTER PLAN PROGRAM ELEMENT 1. Proposed Sound Booth & Follow Spots, specifically options for decreasing sound projection at the corner of Josselyn Lane and Guadalupe Street and PROGRAM ELEMENT 7. Proposed Additional Parking, specifically the removal of the stone wall, grape stake fence and trees along Mt. View Av. for parking spaces and the construction of a new retaining wall, et cetera, and “New Meadow Development” in place of the current parking areas in Forest Theatre.


MAJOR DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE CONGLETON FOREST THEATER FACILITY MASTER PLAN (2001) & FOREST THEATER FOUNDATION “PRE-DESIGN” BY THEATER ARCHITECT RICHARD McCANN
• Parking: In the McCann “pre-design” plan, the parking area would be converted into “New Meadow Development” and parking spaces would be along Mt. View Avenue and Guadalupe Street, approximately 18 ft. into the existing Forest Theatre property from the street. This would necessitate the removal of the stone wall, the grape stake fence, removal of trees and the construction of a new retaining wall, et cetera.

• Potential Perimeter Wall: In the McCann “pre-design” plan, there is the potential of a perimeter wall around much of the Forest Theater.


COMMENTS & QUESTIONS:
• The Forest Theater Foundation President Walt de Faria stated that the Congleton Forest Theater Master Plan was inadequate because it failed to address the concerns of actors; therefore, the Foundation hired Theater Architect Richard McCann to address those deficiencies. However, the Congleton Forest Theater Master Plan did address user groups concerns, namely Dressing rooms & onstage restrooms, Storage, Control booth, Sound systems, House & stage lighting, Loading & unloading – Stage set materials and Indoor theater needs.

• Foundation President Walt de Faria stated that the purpose of the “neighborhood meeting” was to gather input from residents of the Forest Theater to then incorporate into the “pre-design.” Question: Then why didn’t the Forest Theater Foundation invite all the residents of Carmel-by-the-Sea for the purpose of gathering more input from more residents, not just the “neighbors” of Forest Theatre. Note: Total attendance of approximately 39 individuals was comprised of four City Council Members, the City Administrator, Community Services Director, PacRep Artistic Director Stephen Moorer, Carmel Residents Association non-neighbor members and about eight “neighbors.”

• On the “New Meadow Development,” which would essentially encompass the existing pavement for parking; currently, the City does not even weed the areas recently planted with drought-tolerant plants. How then would the City propose to maintain an even larger area of “New Meadow Development?”

• An audience member expressed concerns about whether the rural, rustic ambiance of the Forest Theater would be preserved if the “pre-design” elements were accomplished.

• After listening to Foundation President Walt de Faria and audience members, it was unclear why the Forest Theater Foundation needed to hire Theater Architect Richard McCann when the Foundation could have contacted local architect Brian Congleton for an update to his Forest Theater Facilities Master Plan, since the 2001 edition included basically all the elements of Richard McCann’s “pre-design” for the Forest Theater.