Pima College - Tucson, Arizona

The house curtain is a planetarium. It depicts stars in their accurate location, accurate relative brightness, and accurate relative color. The background is black velour. The stars are different sized bundles of optical fibers, each bundle individually fitted with a color filter. Fiber optic illuminators are located along the pipe batten from which the curtain is hung.

A digital star catalog was used. Computer programs were written to sort for location and brightness and then plot the stars in a conic secant projection. The scale drawing was plotted in reverse so the star positions could be laid out in chalk full size on the back of the velour. The central constellation is Scorpio. The bright star is Antares. Stars were chosen as ornament for this room because of the great importance of astronomy in the hearts of this audience and in the economy of Tucson.

The 450-seat auditorium is used primarily for music, for which it is ideal. Through the use of absorptive draperies the reverberation time can be shortened for other uses. There is a full proscenium stage, fly tower, resilient dance floor, stage rigging, and stage lighting.

The facility includes a music department with rehearsal rooms, practice rooms, offices, classrooms, and recital hall, and a drama department with a large laboratory theater, scene shop, and support spaces.