Five things to know about the new Guthrie

Last update: March 10, 2006 - 4:41 PM

1 The new riverfront Guthrie will have three stages for concerts as well as theater: a thrust stage with 1,100 seats in fall colors; a proscenium stage with 700 red seats and a studio with no permanent seating but a capacity of 200 people.

2 The new Guthrie will have more concerts than in recent years at Vineland Place -- probably at least 20 in the first year. And the programming will be more adventurous. There might even be hip-hop. (Gil Scott-Heron was the closest thing to a hip-hop headliner at the old theater.)

3 Dancing will be allowed as long as it doesn't interfere with concertgoers' views. There is space behind the seats in the thrust-stage theater (carpeted, however). Other amenities will include the Dram, a full-service bar, and Cue, a "nonfancy" French restaurant.

4 Smokers will find it a challenge. To go outside, they will have to descend from the theaters, which are on the fourth and fifth floors. City regulations prohibit smoking on the Guthrie's "endless bridge" projecting toward the river.

5 Walker Art Center, which owns the Guthrie building on Vineland Place, will present no more concerts there. "The vast majority of the equipment -- the lights and sound system -- will disappear" when the Guthrie exits in May, Walker spokesman Phillip Bahar said. At some point, still undetermined, the building will be torn down and a garden will grow in its place.

JON BREAM