Iowa City district staff pitch ‘black box’ theaters and consolidated fine-arts work in facility master plan

District staff presented findings from a fine-arts facilities study and sketched designs for flexible “black box” theater spaces at City High, Liberty High and West High during an Oct. 12 work session of the Iowa City Community School District Board of Education.

District staff lead Dwayne Sandler framed the conversation as an initial step in the district’s Facility Master Plan update (FMP 2.2), saying the technical recommendations in the study are sound but that “the challenge is putting it all together in an FMP plan and being able to finance it.”

The presentation described recurring problems in the three high school auditoriums and adjacent support spaces: worn dressing and makeup rooms, limited rehearsal and practice rooms, aging audio and lighting systems, HVAC and acoustics needs, and constrained wing and fly-loft space that limit set movement. Sandler noted the district performs annual rigging and stage safety inspections and that some items “carry over” year to year.

To address space and flexibility constraints, staff proposed adding black box theaters — flexible, smaller performance spaces with movable seating, rigging grids and adaptable acoustics — at each campus. Sandler said a two-story black box at City High could align floor levels with existing orchestra and band rooms, expand wing space and add rehearsal, storage and dressing areas without expanding into teacher parking. He described the concept as “very, very flexible” and useful for both school and community use.

Architects and staff discussed sequencing and construction impacts. Several presenters urged building black boxes before major auditorium reconstruction so programs retain functional rehearsal/performance space during disruptive work. “Build a black box first. It solves the problem,” Sandler told the board when outlining the recommended sequence at West High.

Staff emphasized trade-offs and constraints: physical-site limits (bearing walls, boiler/utility rooms under scene shops), fire-lane and access requirements at Liberty High, and high cost and structural complexity if the district were to widen or fully replace existing auditorium boxes. On seating, staff said reconfiguring aisles and bumping back lobbies could add only modest seat counts and would be costly for limited gain.

Board members pressed staff for clearer cost, timeline and phasing information. Staff recommended returning in May with FMP 2.2 budget categories that include line items for athletics and fine arts and with more specific cost and timeline estimates for the proposed black boxes, fly-loft work and auditorium upgrades. One staff member said schematic design could begin late summer with possible construction the following summer if financing and timing aligned, but cautioned that campus schedules and concurrent district projects would affect sequencing.

The conversation covered priorities and use cases: black boxes to create rehearsal rooms, flexible small-production venues, and community rental space; auditorium upgrades to address rigging, fly-loft height and orchestra pit repairs; and accessibility/ADA improvements. Staff reiterated that some auditorium repairs (acoustics, upholstery, lighting) should be part of an integrated package and not piecemeal work that would be undone by later structural changes.

Board members and staff agreed to continue engagement with school instructors and principals as schematic design proceeds and to refine cost estimates and schedules before returning with formal FMP recommendations.

Ending: The work session closed without formal votes on specific projects; staff will return to the board with budget-line recommendations and more detailed timelines as part of the FMP 2.2 process.