The exuberant art deco interior of The Martin Woldson Theatre at the Fox, in Spokane, Washington, caught the attention of the adjudicators during the 2009 USITT Architecture Awards process. The Martin Woldson Theatre at the Fox will receive one of two Honor Awards during the 49th Annual Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Two projects have been selected to receive USITT's highest award for architecture and three will receive Merit Awards.

Honor Awards will be given to The Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, in Oslo, Norway and The Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox in Spokane, Washington as part of the USITT Architecture Awards. California State University Fullerton Performing Arts Center, Fullerton, California; Charles R. Walgreen, Jr. Drama Center & Arthur Miller Theatre, Ann Arbor, Michigan; and the Mesa Arts Center, Mesa, Arizona, will be acknowledged with Merit Awards. All five awards will be presented at the banquet which concludes the 49th Annual Conference & Stage Expo in Cincinnati, Ohio in March.

Forty projects were submitted for consideration for the 2009 awards. The competition drew entries from 19 states, the United Kingdom, and Norway. To be considered, construction must have been completed after January 1, 1998. Projects could be either new construction or renovation. All projects were evaluated on creativity, contextual resonance, functional operation, exploration of new technologies, and community contribution.

A special session will be held 12:15 to 1:35 p.m. on Friday, March 20 for the annual review of all submissions, including the winning projects.

Complete information about the Honor Award winners:

• The Norwegian National Opera and Ballet,
  Oslo, Norway
  Owner: The Norwegian Governmental Building Agency (Statsbygg)
  Architect: Snøhetta AS
  Theatre Consultants: Theatre Projects Consultants
  Acoustical Consultants: Brekke & Strand Akustikk AS, Arup Acoustics.
  
  
• The Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox
  Spokane, Washington
  Owner: the Spokane Symphony
  Architecture: NAC|Architecture
  Theatre Consultant: Cosler Theatre Design
  Acoustical Consultant: JaffeHolden Acoustics

Complete information about the Merit Award winners:

• California State University Fullerton Performing Arts Center
  Fullerton, California
  Owner: California State University Fullerton, California
  Architect: Pfeiffer Partners Architects
  Theatre Consultant: Landry & Bogan
  Acoustical Consultant: Mark Rothermel, Rothermel Acoustics with McKay Conant Brook
  
  
• Charles R. Walgreen, Jr. Drama Center & Arthur Miller Theatre
  Ann Arbor, Michigan
  Owner : University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance
  Architect: Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects
  Theatre Consultant: Theatre Projects Consultants
  Acoustical Consultant: The Talaske Group Inc.
  
  
• Mesa Arts Center
  Mesa, Arizona
  Owner: Mesa Arts Center
  Architect: BOORA Architects
  Associate Architect: DWL Architects + Planners
  Theatre Consultant: Auerbach Pollock Friedlander
  Acoustical Consultant: McKay Conant Brook

The jurors for the 2009 USITT Architecture Awards included Architect Robert Campbell, a Pulitzer Prize winner, columnist, and author; Graham Gund, FAIA, president and founder of Gund Partnership, trustee of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and member of the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows; and Benton Delinger, director of project management for Theatre Projects Consultants in Connecticut, former production manager for the San Jose Repertory and a founding member of the LORT Production Managers Forum.

Each of the award-winning projects will be featured at Stage Expo. After the Conference, the displays will be made available for exhibition at schools and other institutions across the United States.

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