Duquesne University - Genesius Black Box Theater
Pittsburgh, PA

Size: 12,000 square feet

Services: Architecture, Interior Design

Associate Theater Architect:

Context:

• Steeply sloping, triangular site beside School of Music

• Opportunity to share an entry plaza with School of Music

• The location for the Genesius Theater makes the performing arts more visible on campus

Configuration and Plans:

• Express the Black Box space as an architectural element on the facade and in the building massing

• Celebrate the audience by having the glass lobby face the main campus quadrangle

• Be a good neighbor to the School of Music building and to the campus architecture aesthetic

Facade:

• Express the Black Box with a brick pattern rhythm based on the Fibonacci series

• Wash the Black Box brick with night lighting and celebrate the glass lobby to interest students in what might be happening inside

• Colors and textures to family well with campus neighbors

Interiors:

• The magic of performance happens in the Black Box because all the technology is overhead in the grid

• Many different arrangements for the 150 seats

• Main level dedicated to performances, audience experience and rehearsals

• Basement level houses green room, dressing rooms, shop, administration and storage