Comprehensive design: Oklahoma Shakespeare Theatre
Abstract
A new theatre facility for Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park - OSP - is to be located at the corner of Paseo Drive and Walker Avenue in the Paseo District in Oklahoma City. The company produces about four or five shows per year, with four to twenty performers per show. OSP is dedicated to outreach and educational programs and host many events for students. The company has lost multiple stages to fire and currently performs outdoor shows at the Myriad Gardens in downtown Oklahoma City. They seek a permanent home for both indoor and outdoor theatre performances. The comprehensive design studio required the exploration of every aspect of a large-scale building project. This 27,000 SF project estimated at nearly $7 million challenged me to integrate each wall, beam, column, duct, air handling unit, material, opening, window, and even light fixture into a conceptually unified product. This proposal for a new facility for Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park places the theater at the metaphorical and literal center, and allows all other spaces to support the reason the company exists.