War Memorial Opera House Renovation in 2021

[sf_herminator]

Not about SFB per se, but about their home which will impact next year.  I had heard about this sometime last year.  In 2021, the seats in the Orchestra, Grand Tier, and Dress Circle sections of the Opera House will be renovated.  This project began back in 2013 with the Box seats, followed by the Balcony.  This is the last phase of this renovation.

https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/dance/the-war-memorial-opera-house-is-getting-new-seats-in-2021

SFB is in talks with BroadwaySF to present the last two programs of the 2021 Repertory Season at the Orpheum Theatre.  The 2021 Season will be announced in April 2020.

[pherank]

Thanks(?) to the pandemic, the renovations have been able to proceed during 2020.

Here's a Time-lapse video of War Memorial Opera House seat upgrade project:

https://www.sfballet.org/seatupgradeproject/

[pherank]

And the renovations are done! Here's a long FAQ about the changes:

https://www.sfballet.org/tickets/plan-your-visit/seatupgradeproject/

Basically, they've been able to keep to a design style that fits well with the Opera House interior while improving legroom and sightlines:

"There has been limited seat loss in the Orchestra section, resulting in an approximate 4% reduction in the number of seats in the house. The seat loss is related to efforts to improve sightlines through staggered placement in the center Orchestra sections and the addition of the wheelchair-accessible platforms in the side sections.

There has been limited seat loss in the Grand Tier and Dress Circle related to efforts to improve sightlines and provide greater comfort in Grand Tier and Dress Circle sections."