The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park

The symphony partnered with the City of San Diego to create a facility that provides a world-class outdoor symphonic experience and a waterfront venue for national touring acts. Audience capacities and setups are able to vary widely, from intimate two- and four-person table seating arrangements to standing crowds of up to 10,000.

The Shell is a steel-tube framed structure with tensile fabric above and below the frame, with apertures in the inner ​“skin” for lighting and rigging. 

Because the structure is a curving cone, there is no structural element or surface (other than the stage floor) which is flat, level, plumb or parallel. This complex shape and structure required detailed coordination and careful thought to integrate the necessary theatre equipment and its access seamlessly.

Over the stage, space for the active acoustics system’s dozens of microphones and speakers needed to be woven around large and flexible lighting positions which are accessed by catwalks that curve in plan and section, while still leaving room for hoisting both the permanent production elements (speakers / video walls) and any temporary equipment that could come in off the road.

Because the Shell sits on the edge of San Diego Bay, everything was specified to minimize the impact of corrosion on the stage equipment. All of the hoists use specially-built rope drums and marine-grade machine housings. All ropes used for lifting are synthetic fiber similar to those used in the shipping industry instead of the usual metal aircraft cable. The lighting system receptacles use covered and gasketed plugs rated for outdoor use, and as many fixtures as possible are IP-65 rated or better.

This care was taken in the specification of the stage equipment so that stage operations can focus on art rather than maintenance. Schuler Shook provided theatre planning and consulting services that help this beautiful performance facility perform beautifully.