As one curtain closes on The Foundry at World’s Fair Park, another rises. In September, we reported on the closing of The Foundry after 32 years. For its next act, the Foundry will become the home for Knoxville Children’s Theatre. KCT will begin their move immediately from their current, rented location on Central Avenue. The impact on their offerings, including plays and educational programs, will be transformative. Just as important and maybe more, Knoxville Children’s Theatre will own the building. Their first production in the new space, The Sword in the Stone, will open April 4th.
How did this new addition to the theatre scene in downtown Knoxville come about? During the time that the Greenes were deciding on renovations to the space (see the earlier article), a representative for Knoxville Children’s Theatre was attending an event at the Foundry. He asked if he could approach Marianne Greene about a potential purchase of the space. The Greenes discussed this opportunity and felt that it was the right buyer to add to the downtown arts and cultural scene.
A Brief Introduction to Knoxville Children’s Theatre
Founded in 2008 by Zack Allen, Knoxville Children’s Theatre hosts professional plays for children produced by children and youth ages 8 to 18. According to their website:
KCT is committed to providing children opportunities to acquire and hone skills that enhance creative thinking, public speaking, project management, personal responsibility, leadership, and team work. All of these opportunities occur in a creative outlet where imagination thrives, self-esteem develops, and students learn the many life lessons that creative dramatics can teach.
Sien Moon, Executive Director of Knoxville Children’s Theatre, and I sat for a conversation in the current facility at 109 E Churchwell Avenue off Central Avenue, to discuss the programs and performances hosted by KCT. As they prepare to host their 159th production, the musical Mean Girls, Jr., in their 18th season, the program is extremely excited for the opportunities afforded by this move. The Foundry will be their third location and by far, the largest.
Knoxville Children’s Theatre produces 10 productions per year with approximately 14 performances per play (give or take a few based on need). Moon told me that “we have a full theater educational program. Everything in our theater is done by children. So not only are they the actors, but they’re also the set designers, costume designers, lighting designers, and prop designers. We also have children stage managers. And occasionally we have children directors once they’ve gone through a year-long internship program…then usually when they’re a senior in high school, about the age out of our program, then they get to direct a production.” In addition, KCT hosts classes and workshops for children. Tomorrow, we will feature a more extensive interview with Moon about the mission and programs of Knoxville Children’s Theatre.
For now, how will KCT change and use the Foundry space?
Exterior Renovations
Moon emphasized that the phased renovation plans are a reflection of the full project. Most visibly for passersby, a new exterior will “have a facade that…blends the old and the new.” This new facade, built across multiple rooflines, will make the building more uniform. Signage depicting traditional Greek tragedy and comedy masks along with a KCT blade sign in the new front entrance are planned, improving visibility from current signage.
Additionally, more parking will be available at the Foundry and adjacent near World’s Fair Park.
Lobby, Ticketing and Concessions
As you enter KCT’s current lobby, you’ll find extremely limited standing room. The new Foundry space will feature a spacious 1,804 sq ft entrance area with a lobby and box office. South Hall at the Foundry will be converted into the new lobby with its high ceilings remaining. Ramps into the theatre spaces on Floor 1 will be reused from the existing structure.
The current lobby packs in ticketing, concessions and cast pictures within a small space. During performances, crowds line up out the door and around the building. The new space will provide ample room to queue and socialize without concern of weather conditions. As fundraising permits, large windows will be restored to allow for natural light to fill the space.
Moon told me that patrons will enter through this lobby rather than the Foundry’s side door with new, ADA-compliant entrance ramps added to the south-facing elevation. KCT currently owns a bar-code scanned ticket system, which will be implemented in the new box office. And, on-site ticketing will be available if the shows aren’t sold out (which many now are!)
Coming out of the lobby, stairs and a ramp will lead to a 179 sq ft concessions area with additional space for queueing to purchase snacks and drinks. As renovations progress, new concessions options may be added.
In the same space, a new upstairs restroom facility will be built out in time. Attendees will use the existing downstairs restrooms for the time being. New restrooms will be doubled to four toilet units in men’s and women’s restrooms.
Theatres and Support Space
In a common theme for this move, theatre spaces will double. Instead of one, there will now be two theatres. The larger main stage will be 1,712 sq ft and will feature comfortable seats with arm rests on a sloping, elevated platform. Views of the stage in this theatre will improve significantly. Moon emphasized that the new seating will allow children to better see productions as adults in their current space can block views. An ADA lift will be added and wheelchair accessible seating will be featured at the top of the space.
Acoustic tiling will improve sound as will a new dedicated control booth for sound and lighting. Modern LEDs will light the stages. The main stage will feature around 250 seats, double the current 125. The new 1,385 sq ft stage will increase options for larger and more complex sets and props with stage right and left wings as well as a back stage. The current space has none of these features.
A shared vestibule will connect theatregoers to the new main stage as well as a second, black box theatre positioned opposite the main theatre in this center space. Coming in at 1,084 sq ft, this smaller stage with 100 seats will allow for traditional black box performances. The black box with basic lighting and sound will be set up as a flexible space for more experimental or dramatic performances. Moon said that a dream scenario for this space would be the addition of a playwriting curriculum and the staging of student plays. Seating is still being planned for this space.
The expansion will allow two performances to be staged at the same time and both spaces will feature their own green rooms and two dressing rooms per stage as well. In between the lobby and the two stages will be a 754 sq ft rehearsal space. The current facility has no additional rehearsal space, making it difficult to rehearse during performances.
Finally, a costume and prop shop with storage and a 591 sq ft scene shop will fill out this level. Students began asking around 2016 for programs in the areas of set and prop design, which were added. Moon explained that “We don’t have the facility to train them properly here. They have to either go outside and work on it, and if it’s raining or snowing or freezing, they can’t. So…we’ll be able to provide way more opportunities for the kids to learn those.” Storage provided in these areas will increase set and prop sizes as well. A new expansion of the north-facing side of the Foundry will house these areas.
Level 0 Plans
The bottom level of the Foundry space will feature five classrooms, ranging from 316 sq ft to 550 sq ft. Classrooms will allow for expanded academy and camp offerings as well as eliminating waiting lists for those programs. Classrooms will also permit students to take classes and workshops in the academy during production hours. Evening classes will be added as a result. In tomorrow’s article, look for full details of KCT’s offerings. Classrooms will also provide meeting space to discuss and prepare for productions, which the current space does not feature.
Restrooms for men and women will be featured on this level as well and will serve the general public until upstairs restroom expansion can be funded. Renovated restrooms will be available for students only once the upstairs is finished.
Finally, five office spaces will be available on this level with four dedicated offices and a fifth open office with breakroom included. Moon noted that “Emily (Helton, Academy Director) and Dennis’ (Perkins, Artistic Director) offices are like little boxes because they have no windows. So they’re very depressing rooms.” The new offices will be more spacious and allow for better planning and execution of the programs.
Timelines and Fundraising
After fundraising for the initial purchase, KCT will turn its attention to additional renovations. Moon expected this to occur across ” a couple years.” One available fundraising option is seat sponsorship on the main stage. Naming rights for seats are available for $5,000 (payable over five years at $1,000 per year) with the front row seats at $10,000. The pace of donations will hasten technologies like an advanced fly system for the main stage and more.
As mentioned above, move-in will be immediate after today’s announcement and the first play will open on April 4.
When asked for a final comment, Moon said, “We’re so excited and a little overwhelmed…and can’t wait to get the whole shebang, so to speak.” Moon reflected that Zack Allen “felt like [theatre] was a dying art. Nobody was going to come see live theater unless we introduce it to the young, and so he said, ‘I’m gonna teach these young children…all about it and they’ll develop a love.” Moon added “I mean, if you don’t, it dies. We’re building those future audiences.”
Knoxville Children’s Theatre’s purchase of the Foundry will set, as their capital campaign is named, The Next Stage for expanding this art form to new generations. Fundraising is ongoing. If you would like to donate or become a sponsor, please contact Knoxville Children’s Theatre at (865) 385-4597 or through the Become a Sponsor page on their website.
Come back tomorrow for a full profile of Knoxville Children’s Theatre.