Encore at the Emery
The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati, Emery Theater Renovation
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Cincinnati, OH | 85,000 SF
The theater is a space of dreams, magic, and imagination. It transports guests to distant pasts and futures, to scenes that are both far-flung and familiar. This makes it fitting that The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati (TCT) found its new home in the century-old Emery Theater in Downtown Cincinnati.
An expanded entrance and lobby weave whimsical and immersive elements (neon lights, props, and a light wall) into the theater's historic fabric while adapting it for the needs of contemporary audiences.
A spacious lounge area adjacent to the auditorium offers views to the spinning canopy crown and features a chandelier made from a repurposed stage pulley.
The Emery was not only TCT’s home from 1949-1969, but its beautifully ornamented historic fabric has been woven together with distinctly modern technology to produce an immersive, ever-changing experience that cultivates childlike wonder long before the curtain rises. An expanded lobby highlights features of the historic box office and marble-lined foyer, mingling the building’s antique interiors with neon signs, color-changing walls, and theatrical props.
A spinning crown adorns the new entry canopy.
A historic theater enhanced by modern technology: Projection mapping washes the proscenium arch and walls, reaching beyond the stage to immerse its audience in the dramatized world.
Designed for symphonic music, the Emery’s stage lacks the wide wings and depth that dramatic theaters typically require. This is part of the reason it had fallen into disuse in recent years. To overcome this challenge, the renovation makes use of technology—notably, an oversized LED screen at the back of the stage and a 16-foot turntable and stage lift that can complete scene changes from beneath the stage in seconds. Installation of projection mapping allows production teams to wash the walls in front of the stage in light to create a scene that embraces its audience.
When it was clear that getting seating to test from the manufacturer would cost thousands in production and shipping, we used our in-house fabrication studio to quickly produce seat mockups from the manufacturer's specifications.
We were able to quickly and inexpensively produce plywood mockups to test legroom with users of different heights.
Early integration of Environmental Graphic Design surfaced unique ways to express gifts. For example, donors had the option to immortalize the signatures of their children or relatives on named seats.
A new home that is also its old one, the Emery Theater renovation not only allows TCT to expand its programming—allowing more experimentation and original works—but it extend the life of a historically significant theater that was once declared beyond repair.
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Interior design work ensured the playful vibe of the TCT experience was brought into all areas of the building, like through colorful tiles and a bold pattern in the restrooms.
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Working with our in-house Computational Design & Fabrication experts, our design team saw an opportunity to connect the old and the new by recycling a disused piece of theater history (an old stage pulley) into a chandelier.
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Undersized by modern standards, the stage is made usable by 16-foot turntable and stage lift, which complete scene changes in seconds.
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An original exterior sign gets repurposed to the inside, lighting the way to the auditorium entrance.
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The design team leveraged 3D printing technology to replicate original rosettes around lighting.
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Early EGD integration into the project revealed bold moments to carry the story of TCT to an exterior side of the building.
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