The Thacher School
The Thacher School, a private boarding high school, had a long tradition of dramatic performance, but had no adequate place to perform. In 2001, architect Barton Phelps, with Landry & Bogan Theatre Consultants, and McKay, Conant Brook, Consultants in Acoustics and Audio-Visual, began design of the Performing Arts Building and Commons project.
The Arts building contains the 450-seat theatre, performer makeup and dressing rooms, costume, and prop space as well as music and dance rehearsal rooms. The theatre and is equipped with a orchestra pit wit movable cover, a fully-rigged 30’ x 40’ stage, modern performance lighting systems and a full orchestra enclosure with rigged ceiling panels.
The large doors to the outside support another Thacher tradition of informal assemblies, and the large window in the house (with blackout shade) brings the outside in when appropriate.
Landry & Bogan, Inc. provided theatre design assistance to the architect as well as specific designs for lighting catwalks, box booms, seating and sightlines, and the lighting, rigging, pit cover and orchestra enclosure.
Owner's Representative
Sandy Jensen, Drama,
The Thacher School
5025 Thacher Road,
Ojai, CA 93023
(805) 646.4377 ext. 246
Architect
Barton Phelps, FAIA
Barton Phelps & Associates, Architects and Planners
5514 Wilshire Boulevard, 10th floor, Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 934.8615
Construction Data
76,000 SF, Construction cost $14.3
Completed 2004