gateway
BY THE NUMBERS
Sonoma’s Newest Theater
$28 million Total project cost 50 years ago The first time SRJC’s theater department requested a black box theater to produce smaller, experimental works Very necessary first-time addition A dressing room
1939 The year of the original Burbank Auditorium, constructed as part of FDR’s New Deal Most natural design element Sunlight filtered through oak trees, made visible through the theater lobby’s new north windows, giving the space a wash of diffused light
10,000 pounds Weight capacity of each panel of cable net that light operators walk on to access catwalks, 27 feet in the air
An element preserved Designers kept the stage’s original steel proscenium arch, with its college emblem and repeating relief pattern of oak leaves
Coziest upgrades Wider seats for the audience and a green room lounge for performers
400 feet Depth of the bores for a new energy-efficient geothermal heat pump Three Number of ADAcompliant lifts added to access control booths and the orchestra pit
200 seats Capacity of the new black box theater
42
400 seats Capacity of the renovated main auditorium
sonomamag.com SEPT/OCT 2021
Most popular SRJC show The 2014 production of “Phantom of the Opera”
“Onion Rings” Students’ nickname for the lobby’s new chandeliers
Tim Griffith, Derrick Story (2), Tom Chown (2)
After four years of planning and renovations, plus delays due to the pandemic, students at Santa Rosa Junior College are finally making use of the newly-renovated Burbank Auditorium. The face of the original red-brick building is unchanged, but the interior has been transformed for 21st century learning, and a brand-new black box theater provides a home for smaller, experimental productions. This is a theater for the community, and in the months to come, it will be home to public lectures, performances, and festivals. -Karen Kizer
