Now, with the latest seating project, the strong relationship has continued with Lyric and its Chief Operating Officer and Deputy General Director, Drew Landmesser, who brought Schuler Shook on to envision the new seating arrangement in a feasibility study. As Schuler Shook developed a growing consultancy, they were selected as theatre planners for the comprehensive renovation of its venue in the mid 1990s. Todd Hensley, Partner at Schuler Shook, later became Duane’s Assistant LD. Theatre design and planning firm, Schuler Shook, assisted in identifying new seats for the venue Kirkegaard were brought into as the acoustic engineers to ensure the incredible acoustics of the opera house remained the same the architects at Goettsch Partners created the new seating design and Bulley & Andrews were the contractors tasked with the installation.Ī post shared by Lyric Opera of Chicago a company, Schuler Shook is no stranger when it comes to the Lyric Opera House, with its history dating back to 1977 when Duane Schuler began as its resident Lighting Designer. To help complete this project, the team at Lyric enlisted the help of leading consultants. “We’re a non-profit company, of course, but we were able to fund this renovation thanks to a very generous anonymous donor, who really cared about the project – particularly when it came to making the venue accessible for everyone.” Plus, we had to bring ourselves up to date when it came to accessibility. As well as the seating, we had also been looking at the sightlines when it came to the main floor – put simply there was no staggering whatsoever, with every seat directly behind another. Michael Smallwood, Lyric’s VP / Technical Director, takes up the story: “We replaced the seats during our last major renovation from 1992 through to 1994, so they were in need of an upgrade. The aim has been to improve the audience experience, all while maintaining the historic building that has been the jewel of Chicago’s cultural and architectural community. Built in 1929, complete with a truly breath-taking Art Deco design, the now 3,276-seat auditorium has recently undergone a seating reconfiguration to increase and improve accessibility for the audience, as well as the sightlines to the stage and overall comfort.

The Lyric Opera House has been the venue hosting powerful performances that resonate with audiences long after the curtain falls since the company was founded.

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