The environment created for the 1970 Summer Season of the Hollywood Bowl is directly responsive to the dynamic new directions -- in programming, which reflect profound changes in the contemporary presen tation of the performing arts.
Innovations in mixing varying forms of musical expression on a single program--the simultaneous use of different media and increased informality as well as audience Involvement ----all call for maximum flexibility in--the design of the environment to accommodate not only a broader audience, but also the continually changing requirements of performances.
Basic to all these factors is the assurance of a first--rate acoustical experience which demands a faithful rendering of all the musical elements Presented. This, of course, starts at the source of the musical energy with an enclosure that properly balances and diffuses the sound projected.
I Since the Southern California Symphony--Hollywood Bowl Association was determined to establish the best acoustics possible for this summer, the demands made by the new sound system necessitated immediate alterations in the existing shell, which was not originally designed to serve the current broad needs of performing artists and changing audiences.
The time factor was critical and any solution had, of necessity, to be temporary, easily and quickly assembled, designed to fit into the existing shell, and inexpensive. W6 had been experimenting with the use of cardboard as a structural material on other projects--, and realized that cardboard might well be the answer. we were right.
The large cardboard cylinders that form the new inner structure of the shell are ordinarily used as containers for pouring cement but they function expertly as an acoustical material as well. In addition, their striking size and simple shape create a pleasing. aesthetic and an atmosphere which is appropriate without imposing.
The arrangement of these Sonotubes along the existing shell and their use asa ceiling projection offers an ideal context for the proper distribution Of sound at the source and its natural reinforcements, providing maximum fidelity of sound throughout the entire Bowl. The result is that HollYwood Bowl now has one of the most sophisticated and flexible sound systems of any outdoor theatre in the. country, and the next phase of the project is to.design and develop a new, permanent architectural environment to maximize the total musical, experience..