Happy anniversary, Steinmetz Hall
Blow out the candle, Steinmetz Hall turns one this month. I’m fashionably late to the party, as the one-of-a-kind acoustic hall officially opened Jan. 14, 2022. But the newest addition to the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts is worth celebrating at any time.
“We opened Steinmetz Hall in the midst of COVID while our industry was still grasping the impacts of being shuttered down,” said Dr. Phillips Center CEO Katherine Ramsberger in a statement touting the one-year milestone. “Our audiences returned to experience the joy of artistic excellence in a perfect theater.”
I’ve personally sat in that theater 22 times during the past year, from front and center within spitting distance of the stage, to a side seat one level up on the Grand Tier, to a center spot even higher on the Central Tier — I still haven’t made it all the way up to the nosebleed seats of the Upper Tier, but give me time.
Here are tips, observations, facts and figures about this gem of a space in honor of its first trip around the sun.
Number of performances in its debut year: 140, the arts center says. Among those featured across multiple genres of entertainment: Classical-music superstars Yo-Yo Ma and Yuja Wang; comedians Jay Leno and David Spade; children’s favorites Peppa Pig and the Disney Jr. Dance Party; the Step Afrika! and Tango Argentina dance companies; Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson; the National Ballet of Ukraine; and, of course, many of our own local groups: The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, Opera Orlando, the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park, Orlando Ballet and Central Florida Community Arts.
Feeling chill: In my first visits, an arctic wind was blowing back in the Q-S rows of the main level. That’s because they are situated
right in the path of the air-conditioning vents. I haven’t been seated there recently, so can’t speak to the current climate but if you book tickets there — and they are good seats — you might consider bringing a sweater.
Guests accommodated per performance: 1,410 to 1,761, depending on how the hall is configured through its nifty concert shell that travels on train tracks to change the look of the space.
On the move: That concert shell, which weighs a million pounds by the way, has traveled the length of seven football fields as the hall has been reconfigured for different acts during the course of the year, according to Spencer Tong, executive vice president of operations for the arts center.
Super shell: The shell, which is 62 feet high and 27 feet deep, has 437 18-inch steel and rubber isolation pads between the theater and an outside frame. They act as shock absorbers to reduce ambient noise from outside traffic and passing trains.
Quiet, please: Those shock absorbers don’t help with interior noise caused by patrons, though. This hall is known for its acoustics: That means when you whisper, you can be heard several rows away. It is imperative patrons be aware of any action that can cause sound. Those in high heels will find all eyes on them if they come in late or sneak out early as the click-clack of their strides echoes through the venue. Once, a man rattled the ice in his drink so loudly — with every sip — that I would have sworn he was right behind me. I finally realized he was four or five rows away, but that’s how effectively the sound carries. Be aware, and for heaven’s sake, be quiet.
What a sight: In all my various seating locations, the sight lines have always been grand — except once. At an early performance, the stage was extended forward into the audience. From my vantage point up a level, I couldn’t see the action on the extension.
Wash up: Steinmetz Hall has its own bathrooms on its side of the arts center, and it appears a lesson was learned after the original bathrooms were built near the Walt Disney Theater during the first phase of construction: In the newer facilities near Steinmetz, there’s actually room for a man’s hands to fit comfortably under the faucets without hitting the sink basin.
Don’t look down: One reason the sightlines are so good is the relatively steep rake of the seating. I don’t suffer from vertigo so it doesn’t make me nervous, but others have said they wish the railings were higher in upper levels. That of course, would become a sightline problem, so just take it slow and be careful.
I said, be quiet: Two lowlights from Orlando audience members while distinguished out-of-town acts were performing onstage. A man decided it would be a great time to take a selfie and proceeded to artistically direct his companion how to pose … in the middle of the concert. On a separate occasion, a man couldn’t stop talking about how fabulous the pianist was. The problem? The pianist was still playing. Shush!
Snack away: On an early visit to Steinmetz Hall, I noticed a sign at the bar advertising the arts center’s “world-famous Gummi Bears.” What makes them world famous? I have no idea. But they are a good snack for Steinmetz, which to be fair has attracted attention from around the globe, because with those soft sweets there’s no crunching to be heard. And, once again, watch that ice-swishing. Cheers!