Texas Scenic Company (TSC) has completed installation of stage equipment for the renovation of the Snyder High School Worsham Auditorium in Snyder, Texas.
Chris Purpura of theatre consultants Wrightson, Johnson, Haddon & Williams, Inc. (WJHW) of San Antonio explained, “There were a lot of challenges on the job. We basically needed to gut the entire space including removal of an old wooden catwalk. We couldn’t grow the building so we needed to make the best use of the existing space.”
The design team, including Parkhill, Smith & Cooper of Lubbock, was tasked with preserving many historical elements of the existing space including a wall inscribed with the names of the students and shows hosted by the auditorium since its opening.
TSC removed a very old counterweight rigging system and installed 25 sets of Inline® motorized rigging, fire curtain, tension grid, curtain tracks and a Deck Boss® Control System.
The lighting package included: ETC Source Four and PARnel fixtures, Sensor Dimming, Unison Paradigm Architectural Dimming and Element Console; Altman PAR 64’s; Strand Aurora cyc fixtures and Fresnels; and Strong Canto followspots. TSC also manufactured and installed a full set of stage curtains.
WJHW designed acoustical elements including new reflectors, clouds and AV and sound systems.
Roy Harline of TSC said, “This job is typical of the changing Texas/West Texas facilities that are being renovated. There are many existing, huge, old theatres that are being renovated to save money on construction costs.”
The auditorium at Snyder High School is named after long time drama teacher Jerry Worsham. Worsham led his drama students to 13 championships in state one-act play competitions which earned him the distinction of the most successful drama teacher in U.I.L. history.