MILLER OUTDOOR THEATRE FINALIZES RENOVATIONS City’s free performance venue now features new seats, better sightlines
Mayor Bill White, flanked by City Council Member Wanda Adams and Miller Theatre Advisory Board chairman Rodney Nathan, discusses some of the improvements made to Miller Theatre, including 1,708 new seats and the raising of the hillside seating elevation by six feet.
03.27.2009 --
Miller Outdoor Theatre, the city-owned performing arts venue where every show is free to the public, today announced the completion of $2.4 million in refurbishments to improve accessibility and enhance the audience experience.
Miller Outdoor Theatre has been the site of live performances at Hermann Park since 1923.
"These improvements, coupled with the consistently high-quality performances, make Miller Theatre even more of a Houston treasure,” Mayor Bill White said. “An evening of free entertainment – with the family, beneath the stars, in the heart of city – becomes even better.”
Completed over the course of two off-seasons, improvements to the facility include the installation of 1,708 new burgundy-colored seats, improved views by raising of the elevation of the hillside seating area by six feet, and better access to all areas of the facility.
In addition to re-grading the slope of the theater’s iconic hill, new sod was laid and a new irrigation system was installed.
“We’ve also reconstructed the walkway around the hill, decreasing the incline and making it wider,” said Dawn Ullrich, director the Convention & Entertainment Facilities Department, which operates the facility on behalf of the City of Houston.
“We’ve worked to improve accessibility for all of our patrons. The ramps have been eliminated and there is now direct access from the apron to both sides of the theater.”
Ullrich said a permanent booth for controlling stage lights and sound is another new asset, a feature that is unique to amphitheaters and one that will provide for improved production capability.
Miller Theatre Advisory Board also announced the 2009 performance schedule, which commences Saturday night with Noche Caliente, featuring special guest Nestor Torres, the Latin Grammy Award-winning flutist. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. as a presentation of the Diaz Music Institute. The Houston ensemble Soulsa Caliente will also perform.
