<<Does anyone out there on the list have more suggestions for the perfect
performance area?  Let's create our dream space with no money or space
problems!>>

Wonderful list Catherine!  I would like to add a few items, from the
perspective of someone who performs in a wide variety of spaces.

Pay close attention to accoustics!  Many performers prefer to work without
a microphone (my high voltage gear fries them!).  Even when working with a
mike, good accoustics allow you to set the volume at a level where
everyone can hear, without deafening the people sitting in front of the
speaker.  In many of the old, well designed auditoriums, you can easily
speak to a crowd of 500 people without a mike and everyone is able to
hear.  Check with someone that designs symphony halls.

Pay attention to outside noises.  I recently did a series of shows at a
museum that had a human body exhibit just outside the auditorium.  The
exhibit features an air compressor that lets you simulate a cough and a
sneeze.  Noises like that can be very distracting for both the performer
and the audience,

The perfect performance space would have a loading dock area, or at least
one the is close by.  I can't tell you how many times I have had to roll
carts filled with Tesla coil parts, transformers, etc. through exhibit
halls to get to the performance space.

It should definitely have a green room, a place where the performers can
sit and drink a Coke and relax away, but still be near the stage.  A few
minutes of peace and quiet can make a world of difference when you are
giving 5 or 6 shows a day.

If you think that you might ever want to do any high voltage shows, be
sure that you have a dedicated electrical ground and that any phone wires,
computer cables, etc. are shielded.  The same goes for computerized
lighting systems.

I hope these additions help.

Robert Krampf
Science Education Company
http://members.aol.com/krampf/home.html