Blog / From Artistic Director Michael Bloom

Experience Summer Fun in January with Ten Chimneys

January 06, 2012 by Michael Bloom in From Artistic Director Michael Bloom

When you direct a show there are usually a few highlights you can point to. I’m having trouble with Ten Chimneys—the production has so many amazing features.
Let me tell you about the theatre itself—the brand new Second Stage in the Allen Theatre Complex. ‘Wow’ is what everyone who walks into it says. We’ve loaded in the set, which represents parts of the summer estate of Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, and it feels like you’re right there in Genesee Depot, Wisconsin. The audience surrounds the ‘stone’ floor, and rustic set pieces surround the audience. As if to celebrate the first act’s outdoor setting, a small bird flew around the room.

What a space! Not only are we able to configure the space to the play, there... more

Related Shows: Ten Chimneys

Comfort, Access, and Functionality in the New Allen Theatre

October 10, 2011 by Michael Bloom in From Artistic Director Michael Bloom

We have just ended the run of The Life of Galileo, our first production at our new Allen home downtown, and the response we heard is overwhelmingly positive. Patrons are finding that the new Allen Theatre is a far more effective and comfortable theatre than any at 8500 Euclid Avenue.

Let’s start with the most important thing—acoustics and sightlines. At a recent post-show talkback, a new CPH phenomenon occurred: everyone in the audience could hear the question asked of the actors. In the Drury Theatre, it always had to be repeated. I’ve also noticed that I can deliver a curtain speech in a normal tone of voice and still be heard. In the Drury, I would stand in front of the... more

A top-tier contemporary theatre

August 29, 2011 by Michael Bloom, Artistic Director in From Artistic Director Michael Bloom

I’ve just come from giving a tour of the Allen Theatre, and everyone who’s walked into the new space is thrilled by it. I can’t recall ever sitting in a more intimate 500 seat theatre. The sightlines and acoustics are superb, and the different seating options add to the excitement. In the side boxes, seats are facing the stage rather—as in most boxes—facing across the auditorium. Many patrons will watch the performance at eye-level to the actors—the perfect perspective.

The Allen Theatre project isn’t a renovation; it’s a reinvention of the space. Westlake Reed Leskosky’s design may be unique. They have had the brilliant idea of constructing a contemporary space inside of an historic shell. If you appreciated the original architecture of the... more

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