Webster Spry Cafetorium

This cafeteria project at Webster Spry Middle School involved entirely new construction as they were adding a fully operational auditorium where they could put on plays, concerts, lectures and other live productions. A theatrical stage was added with direct garage door openings onto the exterior to facilitate load in and load out for various types of events that they would be hosting.

Known as the “Webster Spry Cafetorium,” it now has full stage rigging as well as a complete audio system, video system, and theatrical lighting system. Due to this being a combined space used for cafeteria functions as well as performances, and the fact that there is no permanent seating in the room to absorb sound, acoustical treatments had to be incorporated into the ceilings, walls, and other aspects of the room to provide appropriate acoustic conditions.

The control room was elevated to make way for cafeteria use. This change then made it necessary to enable remote monitoring so that the audio operator can hear what is going on in the room below. Pro lighting consists of color changing LEDs in various locations in the room, which you can see in the pictures.

Back to the “cafetorium” tag. The middle school uses this facility as a lunchroom, a teaching/study area and, now, an auditorium. Anyone remember what the sound was like in your old school cafeteria? Well, nothing has changed! Cafeteria sound, untreated, is like living in a tin-can.

We discussed the ins and outs of handling unbridled sound in cafeterias in a previous post entitled “Help, I Work In A Cafeteria And I Think I’m Going Deaf!” Needless to say, we put our expertise to work in conquering the “tin-can-sound-chamber-syndrome” and the acoustic quality in this cafetorium has vastly improved. Happy ending!