UPDATE: Architect hired by City determines Baca Center is not feasible for a professional quality black box theater.
Can’t you just picture it? Dinner, an evening performance with friends, then drinks to top off a perfect night. All right here in our burgeoning hometown downtown that’s just as vibrant as it is laid-back.
Sounds enchanting to us, and with three years of concentrated efforts and significant progress made toward bringing the Round Rock Arts Master Plan to life, the aforementioned evening will soon be reality. Yep, you heard us right! The Round Rock City Council has given the green light to a plan laser-focused on bringing a theater to the downtown district.
We know, we’re pretty ecstatic, too! And to help tide over your appetite for details until opening night, or at least until our next update on the project, here’s a quick 4-1-1 on what to expect:
The new theater is going to be black box in style, creating an intimate space for local arts groups to rehearse and perform and for patrons to get a uniquely up-close and personal feel that larger venues aren’t able to provide. Making use of currently available space at the Baca Center, the theater will feature state-of-the-art sound and video equipment, a movable stage, seating area and flexible lighting system able to accommodate up to 200 people for smaller shows, including plays, chamber operas, cabaret performances, recitals and much, much more!
The Baca Center was identified as an ideal location because it has ample parking for theater goers and is available most evening and weekends – when rehearsals and performances would typically be held. Plus, it’s adjacent to the beautiful Centennial Plaza in southwest downtown, which provides significant pre- and post-event potential! Wouldn’t you just love to toast a great performance under the summer stars?
Spurred by the completion of an architectural feasibility study that was presented to the City Council on July 23, 2015, we’ve hit the ground running in the new year with facility design already underway and opening night estimated for sometime in the fall of this year.
Destined to be a true community asset and a catalyst for future arts growth here in Round Rock, we can’t wait for this space to be complete and filled with emotional performances of voice, body and sound.
Interested in what it might look like? Here are a couple of images that portray the look and feel that a black box theater provides (though ours will certainly look a little different), both when empty and fully assembled:
