FACT_Omaha Mobile Stage

Ethan Boerner Author

08/03/2021 Added

14 Plays

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The Omaha Mobile Stage is a proposal for a dynamic performing arts venue that will pursue community revitalization, bolster the arts in Omaha, and explore creative placemaking.

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[00:00:00.000]The Omaha Mobile Stage, in collaboration with Actual Architecture and FACT,
[00:00:04.897]is a project that will begin in the fall of this year – a dynamic mobile
[00:00:08.465]venue which seeks to aid in the recovery of the performing arts
[00:00:11.607]in Nebraska after the COVID-19 pandemic and explore the
[00:00:14.573]concept of creative placemaking.
[00:00:17.583]My name is Ethan Boerner, and this summer I helped with the initial
[00:00:20.981]stages of this project: collecting precedents, conducting placemaking
[00:00:24.353]research, and setting baseline design considerations.
[00:00:26.930]Actual Architecture Company is an internationally recognized architecture
[00:00:30.532]and design firm based in Omaha, Nebraska, and operating around the world with
[00:00:34.250]expansive vision. The firm draws on backgrounds in art, landscape, and
[00:00:37.789]architecture to provide better informed, highly considered design for a wide
[00:00:41.471]range of clients, sites, and projects - from individuals to cultural institutions,
[00:00:45.553]urban to rural settings, and furniture to large buildings.
[00:00:48.760]The images shown to the right are projects by Actual Architecture having to do with
[00:00:52.889]performance spaces and theaters.
[00:00:56.163]FACT (Fabrication and Construction Team) is a collaborative student designbuild
[00:01:00.003]studio at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln that engages in design,
[00:01:03.490]fabrication, and construction projects with cultural and non-profit clients.
[00:01:07.221]FACT explores the creative opportunities residing in the development and
[00:01:11.493]realization of projects. Below are images of the cover and sample spreads for
[00:01:15.213]the NEw Attainable House book, highlighting work from the ongoing
[00:01:19.333]FACT exhibition at the Nebraska History Museum.
[00:01:22.444]The mobile stage project will focus on community, public health, education and
[00:01:27.274]economic recovery for artists. A multidisciplinary collaborative of Omaha
[00:01:32.136]and Lincoln-based leaders in the fields of design, performance, education and
[00:01:35.935]placemaking has begun fundraising efforts for a new project aimed at reviving
[00:01:39.648]neighborhoods, schools and public spaces post-pandemic.
[00:01:43.439]Omaha Mobile Stage, a mobile performing arts venue, will be a catalyst for
[00:01:47.538]supporting performing artists and engaging communites via free, live
[00:01:51.027]entertainment in public places.
[00:01:54.333]In the wake of the pandemic, the performing arts have been hit
[00:01:57.889]particularly hard. As post-pandemic recovery begins, the mobile stage is
[00:02:01.429]uniquely suited not only to assisting the performing arts, but to providing
[00:02:05.179]entertainment and opportunities to communities throughout Nebraska
[00:02:08.709]The idea of the mobile stage is based on the Good Fellows Show Wagon.
[00:02:12.272]Beginning in 1952 and lasting for 59 years the City of Omaha Parks Department
[00:02:17.301]operated the Good Fellows Show Wagon as a youth talent competition.
[00:02:20.935]In its heyday in the 1970's, the Show Wagon drew hundreds of contestants and
[00:02:24.875]thousands of audience members from the Omaha area and beyond. In keeping
[00:02:29.401]with this history, the new stage aims to be a local venue furthering
[00:02:32.765]community, economic recovery for artists, public health, and education.
[00:02:36.311]The Omaha mobile stage proposes a radical approach to placemaking in that the word
[00:02:41.203]"place" typically describes a fixed, unchanging space, rather than a
[00:02:45.004]Rather than being tied to any one context, the mobile stage will directly and
[00:02:50.675]strategically engage with countless places throughout Omaha and beyond.
[00:02:54.965]More specifically, the Omaha Mobile Stage will pursue creative placemaking -
[00:02:59.155]in which artists and art organizations have a seat at the table when doing
[00:03:03.245]community revitalization work. This concept will govern much of the design
[00:03:07.411]process. The main questions is: how can we refit a vehicle into a mobile
[00:03:11.506]performance space that can effectively facilitate placemaking and revitalize
[00:03:15.546]communities.
[00:03:16.805]One of the challenges for the project will be to consider all the possible uses
[00:03:20.555]for the stage. The dynamic nature of the project means any number of scenarios
[00:03:24.442]are possible, from the conventional to the unique and unexpected. Below are just a
[00:03:28.573]few of the countless examples.
[00:03:33.985]The vehicle, recently purchased for the project, is a 2004 GMC
[00:03:37.329]the equivalent to an Isuzu model from around the same year.
[00:03:40.116]Before the project begins, the truck will be cleaned and tuned up, and any
[00:03:43.800]existing cabinets and fittings will be removed. The scope of the project is
[00:03:47.638]limited to the custom box. The current approximate floor area is 150 square feet.
[00:03:51.687]Another challenge for the project will be to increase this area to accomodate
[00:03:55.517]all kinds of equipment and events, while maintaining road-worthiness requirements
[00:03:59.404]the main one being that all alterations to the box must be made within the main
[00:04:03.250]exterior dimensions. One of the first important design decisions to make will
[00:04:08.506]be how the box should open up to form the space of the stage. These diagrams show 4
[00:04:13.038]different options ranging in complexity and ease of construction.
[00:04:16.503]Version one is most similar to the show wagon on which the project is being
[00:04:20.183]modeled. with one side of the box that folds up or swings out, and an additional
[00:04:24.694]floor space that extends out. Version 2 has the option of opening up on one or
[00:04:29.204]both sides.
[00:04:32.120]Version 3 sacrifices the roof for additional floor space, with the side
[00:04:35.648]walls folding to become the stage backdrop Version 4 is similar, but keeps an area
[00:04:39.732]for equipment storage. These last two versions would be the most complex
[00:04:43.592]and difficult to build.
[00:04:46.350]Approaches to the design of performance spaces typically include a provision for
[00:04:50.180]"neutrality". While this project must allow for a wide range of performances
[00:04:53.988]and people, the stage cannot simply be a neutral backdrop.
[00:04:57.255]The goal of the project is to design a stage with a unique identity that is
[00:05:00.937]adaptable, without lapsing into neutrality.
[00:05:03.747]In keeping with the ideas of creative placemaking, there should be an active,
[00:05:07.475]reciprocal relationship between the stage and wherever it happens to be placed.
[00:05:11.307]this will be one of the key challenges of the project.
[00:05:14.071]There are many ways to approach this challenge. As seen previously, the way
[00:05:18.361]in which the box will open has consequence for the flexibiity of the stage
[00:05:21.891]Besides the stage itself, considering other ways of defining space will be
[00:05:25.631]important, particularily for the audience.
[00:05:28.415]Multiple adaptable systems, in addition to the flexibility of the stage, would allow
[00:05:32.583]an even greater range of event types and locations. For example, light transportabl
[00:05:37.433]seating and shading. Designing these secondary systems as part of the project
[00:05:41.515]will allow something functionally and aesthetically consistent.
[00:05:45.440]Lighting and acoustic systems will be the primary technical systems of concern
[00:05:49.400]for the Omaha Mobile Stage. Performers and other professionals will be consulted
[00:05:53.975]to ensure the proper implementation of these systems.
[00:05:59.829]The material options for the project are bound by a number of factors.
[00:06:03.249]By working within the existing container of the box truck, the basic structure has
[00:06:07.455]already been determined, therefore; any changes and additions need to be
[00:06:10.864]compatible with this structure. Material selections must be durable, lightweight
[00:06:15.482]and cost-effective. Much of the fabrication will be done by students
[00:06:19.536]in the FACT studio, all in a relatively short window, so ease of construction
[00:06:24.656]and simplicity are another set of factors.
[00:06:27.915]Materials involved must also be compatible with the technical systems of the stage.
[00:06:32.405]The entire research, design development, and fabrication process will take place
[00:06:36.313]between the end of August and middle of December of this year.
[00:06:39.533]Beginning at the end of August, FACT students will consult with members
[00:06:42.913]of the public, local performers and other professionals integral to the success
[00:06:46.886]of the project, design all aspects of the project - from the overall form to the
[00:06:50.772]details, and complete the construction process at Nebraska Innovation Studio,
[00:06:54.514]potentially with assistance from outside fabricators.
[00:06:57.940]Phase 2 of the project will begin after the completion of the studio in December
[00:07:02.304]By this the point the stage will be finished and ready for performances
[00:07:06.405]In February 2022, the artists return to schools program will launch in 5
[00:07:10.125]Omaha Public Schools locations, and in March 2022, rehearsals and tech
[00:07:14.516]training will begin in advance of the inaugural performance tour.
[00:07:17.776]My next steps in the project will be to construct a 3D digital model of the truck
[00:07:21.696]continue on drawings and diagrams, and research placemaking and potential
[00:07:25.257]design precedents, all of which potentiall will be used as a basis for the upcoming
[00:07:29.387]design development phase of the project by the FACT studio.
[00:07:32.785]I hope to continue with the project in the fall studio and see the project through
[00:07:36.780]to construction. Thank you.

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