Bengt Sjostrom Theatre
Encyclopedia
The Bengt Sjostrom Theatre (sometimes referred to as Starlight Theatre) is an outdoor community theater located on the Rock Valley College
campus in Rockford, Illinois
.
The Bengt Sjostrom Theatre was constructed in 1983 and is dedicated to the memory of Bengt Sjostrom, builder and civic leader, who was the general contractor when the college buildings were constructed, from 1967 to 1971. Mr. Sjostrom was president and chairman of the board of Sjostrom & Sons, Inc., the construction firm started by his father in 1914.
Construction began on the facility, previously named the Community Arts Center, in 1974, when a group of citizens met to discuss building a permanent structure to house Starlight Theatre, a summer theater program in Rockford. By 1976, a stage, orchestra pit and rough graded seating area were built, supported entirely with private monies.
It was not until former Rock Valley College Foundation Director Charles Blake committed himself to the completion of the current phase that construction began. Through his initiative, Sjostrom & Sons, Inc. built the facility entirely as a donation in memory of Bengt Sjostrom, for whom this theater is now named.
Rock Valley College began remodeling the Bengt Sjostrom Theatre in 2001. Phase 1 renovations included a wide variety of amenities and improvements such as easier accessibility; increased seating capacity
to 1,100 (previously 600); on-site rest room facilities; on-site box office for both ticket purchase and pickup; and on-site concession stands and state-of-the-art theatrical technology. Phase 2 renovations, completed in the 2002 season, featured the construction of a 150 feet (45.7 m) proscenium stage house which included improvements such as: a fully functional fly system, larger stage platform, a completely protected stage, and a stage house that provides an acoustical barrier from other area events. The crowing achievement of the Bengt Sjostrom Theatre renovation was completed in June 2003—a motorized retractable roof.
The roof was designed by Minneapolis
-based engineering firm Uni-Systems
. The roof comprises six 36 feet (11 m), 42 feet (12.8 m) triangle-shaped panels weighing a total of 86 tons. The roof can open to give the audience a star-shaped view of the sky, or it can be closed to fully shelter the audience from troublesome weather, a problem noted in the theater's past.
Rock Valley College
Rock Valley College , located in Rockford, Illinois, is one of 48 two-year, open-admission colleges of the Illinois Community College System , organized under the Illinois Public Community College Act. RVC’s district comprises Winnebago County and Boone County and parts of Stephenson County, Ogle...
campus in Rockford, Illinois
Rockford, Illinois
Rockford is a mid-sized city located on both banks of the Rock River in far northern Illinois. Often referred to as "The Forest City", Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County, Illinois, USA. As reported in the 2010 U.S. census, the city was home to 152,871 people, the third most populated...
.
The Bengt Sjostrom Theatre was constructed in 1983 and is dedicated to the memory of Bengt Sjostrom, builder and civic leader, who was the general contractor when the college buildings were constructed, from 1967 to 1971. Mr. Sjostrom was president and chairman of the board of Sjostrom & Sons, Inc., the construction firm started by his father in 1914.
Construction began on the facility, previously named the Community Arts Center, in 1974, when a group of citizens met to discuss building a permanent structure to house Starlight Theatre, a summer theater program in Rockford. By 1976, a stage, orchestra pit and rough graded seating area were built, supported entirely with private monies.
It was not until former Rock Valley College Foundation Director Charles Blake committed himself to the completion of the current phase that construction began. Through his initiative, Sjostrom & Sons, Inc. built the facility entirely as a donation in memory of Bengt Sjostrom, for whom this theater is now named.
Rock Valley College began remodeling the Bengt Sjostrom Theatre in 2001. Phase 1 renovations included a wide variety of amenities and improvements such as easier accessibility; increased seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
to 1,100 (previously 600); on-site rest room facilities; on-site box office for both ticket purchase and pickup; and on-site concession stands and state-of-the-art theatrical technology. Phase 2 renovations, completed in the 2002 season, featured the construction of a 150 feet (45.7 m) proscenium stage house which included improvements such as: a fully functional fly system, larger stage platform, a completely protected stage, and a stage house that provides an acoustical barrier from other area events. The crowing achievement of the Bengt Sjostrom Theatre renovation was completed in June 2003—a motorized retractable roof.
The roof was designed by Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
-based engineering firm Uni-Systems
Uni-Systems
Uni-Systems, LLC is a design, construction, and consultation engineering firm located in Minneapolis, Minnesota specializing in kinetic architecture, or movable, mechanized structures designed to adapt to individual structures’ needs...
. The roof comprises six 36 feet (11 m), 42 feet (12.8 m) triangle-shaped panels weighing a total of 86 tons. The roof can open to give the audience a star-shaped view of the sky, or it can be closed to fully shelter the audience from troublesome weather, a problem noted in the theater's past.