Over the past year, the Orpheum Theater in Saugerties has renovated and redesigned its third floor into a space called “The Mark.”
The Mark is envisioned as a place to host everything from feature films, to director Q&A’s and live musical performances. The theater seats 99 people. It is the latest in many renovations that have taken place since the Orpehum was purchased by the non-profit Upstate Films in 2021.
The Mark officially opened on March 15th and has already screened everything from Dune: Part 2 to a silent film titled The General, which featured live musical accompaniment.
The design was led by architect and audio designer John Storyk and his acoustic consulting and architectural design firm WSDG, which is based in nearby Highland, NY. Aside from giving back to the local community, this project was extra special to Storyk.
The Mark is named after beloved community figure and supporter of the arts Mark Braunstein who passed away in 2021.
“As a dedication to Mark Braunstein, there just was a fire under our bellies,” John Storyk said. “This is a passion project.”
Even if you haven’t heard of Storyk, you’ve probably heard his work before … at least indirectly. Storyk is a world renowned architect and audio designer who’s built music studios for the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Jay-Z. He’s also led the charge on projects in venues like the Lincoln Center. His latest project in Saugerties takes place on a slightly smaller scale, however, the work is no less meaningful.
Nowadays, there is much hype around the visual quality of IMAX and 3D movie experiences. And while sound isn’t the first thing your average movie-goers might critique, Storyk says good audio is the real key to an immersive experience.
“The audio is magic,” he said. “It gives you the envelopment and it’s what makes the theater experience special.
This is more than just “lights out, popcorn,” as Storyk put it. There has been intricate attention paid to every aspect of the redesign – from the exact angle of the wood panels on the walls to the position of the stage – all to optimize the acoustics of the room.
Perhaps most notably (or audibly) the new space boasts a Dolby Atmos sound system. It is one of very few theaters in the region
For my own curiosity I asked Storyk what is the best seat to choose at the movies. In general, Stroyk said he preferred to sit about one-third or two-thirds back and off to the side
“I want to hear the room, I want to hear the wall,” he said.
However, in the specific case of the Mark, Storyk says there isn’t a bad seat in the house given the intimate setting and the way the seats are arranged.
One of the main challenges of designing the Mark was optimizing sounds for both movies and live performance. To accommodate this, Storyk installed two separate sound systems for each use case. In total, the space has around 30 speakers
Storyk made use of existing materials as well, in particular keeping the tin ceiling that adds so much character to the room. But beyond the aesthetic, Storyk said the thin ceiling coupled with the insulation behind it was quite good for absorbing certain higher audio frequencies.
Photo credit: Joseph Janisheski
As Storyk explained, much of his design focuses on how the room absorbs and reflects different frequencies of sound to create the optimal listening experience. Have you ever watched a movie and found the dialogue to be muddy or difficult to understand? Chances are the acoustic design of the theater could have played a role.
On April 10th, The Mark will be hosting a free event led by Storyk and eight-time Grammy-winning producer and sound engineer Elliot Scheiner. The two will demonstrate the audio properties of The Mark using samples from Scheiner’s Emmy-winning History of the Eagles and musical work, live performance that showcases the Mark’s live sound system.
Reservations are strongly recommended which you can book for free through the Orpheum’s website: here.
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