War Memorial seat upgrade under way
With the War Memorial Opera House sitting empty because of the COVID19 outbreak, there’s no better time to replace its old, wornout seats.
The longawaited project to introduce new seats into the historic Beaux Arts theater has been moved forward approximately nine months — from summer of 2021 to this month, according to an announcement by the San Francisco Opera and Ballet, together with the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center.
This 14week undertaking marks the final phase of a threepart upgrade that began in 2013 with the installation of new seats in the Box sections. The Balcony and Balcony Circle were upgraded two years later. The last stage includes all the seats in the Orchestra, Grand Tier and Dress Circle sections.
Patrons are being assured that they will return to seats with more leg room and better ergonomics than in the current configuration, as well as better sight lines. There’s still no word on whether cup holders in the armrests will be part of the design.
The project’s $3.7 million cost is funded by a facility fee of $1 to $3 that has been added to every Opera and Ballet ticket since 2013.
The original timeline would have had a big impact on scheduling for both the Opera and Ballet, which share the facility. The Opera’s planned schedule for summer 2021 was notably shorter and earlier than usual, and the Ballet was looking for alternative venues for the last productions of its spring season.
With the arrival of the pandemic, those considerations have become largely moot.