View Full Version : OCCC Performing Arts Center



Praedura
01-28-2013, 03:40 PM
I couldn't find an existing thread for this project, so...

I just came across an article noting that the recent Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert at the Peake raised money for the OCCC Performing Arts Center.
Specifically, $1 for each ticket sold, resulting in a $15,431 donation:

http://city-sentinel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/COM-TSO_OCCC-Photo1.jpg

This donation is apparently being used to help finish the new 1,100 seat Performing Arts Theater - due to be complete this fall.

Triad Design has a blurb about it here:
Triad Design Group - Architecture and Engineering (http://triaddesigngroup.com/news_artsed.html)

http://triaddesigngroup.com/images/news_occcarts2.jpg


Yet another project I didn't know about. Looks cool though. Apparently OCCC is doing well and in expanding mode these days.

Edit: oops, forgot to put in the news item link:
Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Stone City Attractions partner to support OCCC's new performing arts theater | The City Sentinel (http://city-sentinel.com/2013/01/trans-siberian-orchestra-and-stone-city-attractions-partner-to-support-occcs-new-performing-arts-theater)

Plutonic Panda
01-28-2013, 06:53 PM
Yes, right now I attend OCCC and it is coming along very nicely. It is actually pretty big and should help make the school stand out more.

Easy180
01-28-2013, 07:13 PM
Hopefully they will nab some quality comedians along with Rose State

ljbab728
01-28-2013, 09:21 PM
Hopefully they will nab some quality comedians along with Rose State

And they wouldn't have to look any furthur than OKCTALK. LOL

bombermwc
01-30-2013, 06:48 AM
It feels like the project has been moving very slowly to me. But i'm not sure i understand what the need for a Auditorium is for OCCC. RSC didn't really NEED one either. It turned out to be immediately beneficial to OKC while the Civic Center was redone, but it's never really made use of the outside stage, and the number of events held there has drastically decreased. And as for actual school related activities....there's hardly anything. It's quite a sum of money to spend on a pretty small room that just isn't used all that much. So why add another one in town so close as well? I dont' mean to sound unsupportive, i just dont see what the need is.

mkjeeves
01-30-2013, 07:02 AM
I believe there were some structural design issues that had to be worked out after construction started. It nestles into and above what was intended to be a first phase of a grand plan.

Yeah, it is a huge expensive project. It's much larger than most high school auditoriums but a lot smaller than the civic center. If they can keep events happening there it will probably be a jewel for the southside and attract people who would not normally make it to events at the civic center, Lloyd Noble, Rose State, OCU or <gasp> the casinos. I would be inclined to go there more frequently than I do to the others. I'd like to know more about how it is funded, if it is all state funded or some job creation federal funding of some type too.

ljbab728
01-30-2013, 08:53 PM
I'd like to know more about how it is funded, if it is all state funded or some job creation federal funding of some type too.

There was a significant amount of private funding.


Four years ago, students of the OCCC Leadership Council supported an additional fee that provided $8 million dollars in bond funding covering half of the estimated cost of the facility. Lead gifts of $1 million dollars from the Sarkeys Foundation and $500,000 from the Inasmuch Foundation initiated a community fundraising campaign. Another two million dollars in donations from foundations, corporations and individuals, combined with OCCC capital improvement funds, have set the stage for construction to begin in early 2011. The expected completion date is December 2012.

bombermwc
01-31-2013, 06:59 AM
jeeves, this is exactlly the same size as the high school ones around town. In fact it's a couple hundred smaller that the Moore, Mid-Del ones. Rose was the same way. Midwest City and Del City High's hold almost 1500, while RSC is 1100 as well. I think the Southmoore and Moore ones are more in line with this, but up to the north side, and the PC's are in the 16-1700 size.

Now that being said, those are built in relation to the student population at those schools for events during the school day. And those wouldn't be used for outside events very much. So somewhere like RSC or OCCC would be able to host those traveling show events....smaller musicals/dramas/etc. I believe Celebrity Attractions (who books for the Civic Center) also books for the RSC PAC. Are they going to throw a second facility on their map in OKC? I wouldn't think so. And with them already being in town, with a reduced schedule compared to what it used to look like, what's the draw? If OCCC itself has a use for the facility with it's own programs, that's great....that's what I would want for them. But what are those programs? For this expense, the thing really needs to get its use out of it.

mkjeeves
01-31-2013, 07:19 AM
You mean it's a couple of hundred seats smaller? I didn't compare specs but I'll buy that. I've worked on a number of them around the state and I'm working on this one. Was going off my feeling of the size of the place, rather than seating or square feet. Not the best measure! Probably the grand atrium entry of OCCC influences that feeling and makes the place seem larger than it is. Most of the high schools do not have that. Plus it's still largely in a shell with interior partitions just going up.
The stage seems to be quite a bit larger too, which could be deceiving at this time of construction and there is an orchestra pit, again, something I've not seen much of in the high school auditoriums I've worked on.

Glad to know it's not all taxpayer money!

Plutonic Panda
09-05-2013, 09:08 PM
From Today 9/5/2013

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