When the Paramount Theatre opened in 1928, it was designed for Vaudeville shows and silent movie showings. In those days the opulence of the room was an important factor in one’s overall experience of an event, with draperies and plush seats. By contrast, concert halls, where longer reverberation times are important to the blending and layering of musical sound, are typically hard-finish rooms with only sparing use of carpet and drapery.
Now that the Paramount Theatre is home to Orchestra Iowa, Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre and other touring shows and music events, the theatre’s acoustic capabilities need to be broadened and enhanced. Replacement of the orchestra shell is an opportunity to improve the acoustics of the theatre for everyone in the room.
Unamplified sound reflections from the side walls, cheek walls (adjacent to the pit) and forestage ceiling cause the room’s reverberation time to be lower than desirable for orchestra and chorus performances. Other factors that adversely affect reverberation in this room include the seats, which are too absorptive to be appropriate for use in a concert hall, ornamental drapery adorning the colonnade and organ apertures and the projective geometry of the room itself which tends to push sound disproportionately toward these absorptive areas. Further, the relatively thin plaster finishes are not massive enough to support low frequency reverberation that result in acoustic “warmth.”
Proposed Acoustic Improvements
- Forestage Reflector – Installed on the ceiling to reflects sound from the forestage to the Loge and the center of the Orchestra Level
- Side Wall Repair & Modifications – Replace and reshape damaged walls with thicker plaster, multi-layer gypsum, solid-core doors or solid masonry. Replace damaged curtains with thinner curtains or fabric-wrapped panels.
- New Audio/Visual System – Upgrade the system for present-day expectations for a civic performing arts facility, including audio and video equipment key locations throughout the performance space
These proposed improvements will be finalized as the design for this reconstruction project takes shape and funding is secured.
