After a two-year construction cycle that included the engineering challenges of building a round performance venue into a hillside and harnessing natural light and geothermal heat, the Bellevue Youth Theatre will open to the public on March 14.
Theater director James McClain expects the $8.8 million, 12,000-square-foot facility to be the pride of Bellevue’s Crossroads neighborhood, where children can attend programs and flex their creative muscles to make 30 weekend shows a reality every year.
The theater’s construction was funded by a $2 million match from the city through a voter-approved parks levy in 2008 and an additional $2.5 million from King County Green Building and 4Culture grants. The Bellevue Youth Theatre Foundation raised $1 million for the project.
Structural highlights include 14 geothermal wells — going 300 feet deep — that keep the theater at 69 degrees. The city is aiming for a gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Standards designation.
“We’re using that moderate temperature,” said project manager Pam Fehrman, “that controlled, steady temperature of the earth.”
Window trumpets in the roof — sodded over for park patrons to recreate on — reduce energy costs by providing natural lighting around the theater, Fehrman added.
“That part of the theater is a really popular place to hang out,” said McClain of the grassy roof.
The main black-box theater (in the round) is equipped with cameras that can be used to broadcast plays on flatscreen televisions hanging around the BYT, for patrons arriving late and also for actors and staff to know at what point a performance is at from nearly every part of the facility.
McClain said he’s excited about the 360-degree catwalk, accessible by only one location in the theater, adding equipment can be lowered for those youth and volunteers with disabilities — about 12 percent of volunteers — that prevent them from ascending a staircase.
“It’s a great acting space,” he said. “We’re going to use it for a show.”
Behind the main theater space is a large rollup door that turns the acting space into an amphitheater — the first in Bellevue — the audience now able to sit outside, McClain said. He added outdoor shows can quickly be moved indoors during periods of inclement weather. The first amphitheater production will be “10 Ways to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse,” starting in August.
Twenty staff will work out of office space that doubles as the theater’s box office, not including BYT’s 200 annual volunteers. One room will be used by the Bellevue Youth Theatre Foundation for fundraising, the organization bringing in $15,000-$75,000 annually. The old performance space at the former Ivanhoe Elementary School will continue to be used for rehearsals and set design, McClain said.
A ribbon cutting will be held 11 a.m. Saturday, March 14, followed by tours and demonstrations until 1 p.m. The first performance, “Oblio and the Pointless Forest,” runs March 20-29, and is suitable for all ages. It is based on “The Point,” by musician Harry Nilsson.
“The show is about diversity and acceptance,” McClain said, “and that’s what this theater is all about.”
