Photo by Leslie Schwartz |
Welcome to a tour of the Tivoli Theatre. There are a couple of rules to follow. First, please stay together as we tour the theatre so no one gets lost, and no flash photography, please! If you want to see any photo in greater detail, just click on it. Be aware, if you are on a modem, the larger pictures will take some time to load as some of them are high resolution. |
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Let's start at the stage. Here is a picture of the lighting control
system, which is the original 1928 system, though some enhancements
have been made in recent years. There are very few of these systems
still in operation, and even fewer that have been maintained
mechanically, electrically, and cosmetically. This lightboard is
the best preserved example of this equipment anywhere
in the United states! And, yes, it is still used for every live
show. It takes from 1 to 3 people to operate it, depending upon the
complexity of the show. Yes, that is a computer display on the front. It is used
in conjunction with the sound and also allows us to put the lighting "cue sheets"
into an easy-to-use electronic format. It does not actually connect to the
lightboard.
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Next to the lightboard is the amplifier rack for the stage sound 
system. (The stage sound system is totally separate from the movie
sound system.) The rack contains 4 dual channel 300 watt
Electro-Voice amplifiers, plus two 100 watt Precision Electronics amps.
The P.E. amps are used for backstage and dressing room monitors.
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Moving on, we see the stage when it is set for movies. This is the back side of the movie screen, and shows the speakers that are used 
for movies. For live productions the speakers are rolled off to
stage left in a storage space, and the screen is "flown" overhead.
A mechanism called a "fly system" is used to raise the
screen, curtains, lights, etc., over the stage by means of ropes
and counterweights.
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Feel like climbing some scary stairs? OK. Here we go. If you see the outside of the building, you'll notice at the stage end a large brick structure that sits higher than the rest of the roof. This structure is the "fly house" and is over the stage itself. This is where the screen, curtains, etc., is flown to when they are raised. We'll climb some stairs and show you what the top of the fly system looks like. (Photos were taken by fearless stage crew member John Basco.) The first picture shows a head beam which 
supports the pulleys that support the steel cables that connect the
counterweights and the load. The second photo views out over the
flys and shows the steel cables as they make their way across the
fly space and to the loads. The third photo, not for the faint of
heart, shows a view looking straight down from the top of the flys
to the stage floor, a distance of 65 feet! The yellow dot toward the left of center
is a chair. Notice how small it is from this height.
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Planting our feet on terra firma again we can look the other direction, from the stage floor up. This view shows three light pipes, or "battens" with several spotlights. Working from the right side of the picture, we see the front red valance, then the first light batten, and then just before the second light batten 
there is a dim gray line which is the bottom of the movie screen
in its flown position.
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On both sides of the stage there are organ chambers, which contain the pipes and percussion instruments for the WurliTzer organ. Here is a picture of a portion of the stage right (west) chamber. (For you organ people out there, this is the "main" chamber. The "solo" chamber is on stage left.) 
You'll notice that there are both metal and wooden pipes. The size,
shape, and material of the pipes defines the sound made by the pipe.
The length defines the pitch of each note. Short pipes are higher pitches,
long pipes are lower pitches. This instrument has 10 different and distinct
voices (not counting percussions, marimbas, xylophones, etc.) which the organist
can turn on and off from the console to create an ensemble effect.
(See the Main Tivoli webpage for a picture of the organ console
and a list of the stop tabs.)
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On either side of the stage, right behind the proscenium arch, are lighting positions known as "tormentors". Here is a picture of the stage right torm with several lights all set for a production. These torms are 12 feet tall from the stage floor. |
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To light the organ and the front of the stage, we have over a dozen spots in the dome of the auditorium, which shine through a 20 foot wide slot in the rear edge of the dome. These pictures show the dome from the inside, showing the row of spotlights, which range from 575 watts to 1000 watts each. |
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In December 2006 a major construction project was completed to create a sound control area in the back of the auditorium, with new sound mixing equipment. The mixer and most of the processing equipment is Behringer equipment from Germany and the new mixer shown has the ability to process up to 48 audio channels. The system is capable of being used for live theatre or CD recording projects and represents professional state-of-the-art equipment. Most of the construction and installation was completed by the Tivoli Stage Crew with very important projects completed by members of the Tivoli Enterprises constrution department. |
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The basement, or as we like to call it "The Catacombs", is where the storage and dressing rooms are located. There is a green 
room, and from that are four dressing rooms, each with sink and
makeup mirrors with lights. Under the orchestra pit there is a very
large room equipped with counter space, mirrors, and lights, to handle
the very large groups we sometimes get.
The basement is also the home of the traditional theatre ghost, which all theatres of this age must have! |
Photo by Leslie Schwartz
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Back upstairs we see the beautiful lobby, redecorated in 1998.
From the lobby a doorway leads up to the Projection Booth.
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This is the projector, opened up for threading the film. Yes, it is a highly complex and finely tuned piece of equipment. |
| Next to the projector is the platter, which holds the film. The film is in one long roll, which passes through the projector and back again onto one of the other empty platters. For the next showing, the film is rethreaded through the projector and winds up on a different platter again. There is never a need to rewind the film! The projector, platter, and sound system are run by a computer which automates all the various systems. |
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The sound racks contain the power amplifiers for the various speakers, plus the Dolby Digital sound equipment. |
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Also in the projection booth is our Follow Spot, which is used for live productions when a performer must be followed around the stage with a high powered light. The glass window in front of the spot is shown closed with a heavy steel shutter for fire protection. In 1920 era theatres projectors and follow spots used arc lamps and highly flammable film, so all openings had to be fitted with fire shutters. Modern equipment and film do not require these precautions as there are no open arcs and the film is non-flammable. But, our old shutters are still in place! |
