Opened in 2009 after being re-envisioned by celebrated designer Milton Glaser and a team of architects and artists, SVA Theatre has become a world-class facility, specializing in the projected image, as well as seminars, lectures, and other presentations, many of which are free and open to the public.
The SVA Theatre is widely known for Milton Glaser’s iconic kinetic sculpture atop the marquee, which comes to life every hour on the hour. Inside, the elegant lobby leads to two auditoriums, Silas and Beatrice (named for SVA’s founder and his wife), which seat a total of 745 guests.
Originally opened in 1963 as the RKO 23rd Street, the building’s prior tenants have included both cinematic and performing arts organizations, most notably Broadway’s Roundabout Theatre Company, and played host to hundreds of artistic events over the years.
The SVA Theatre continues that tradition by hosting a variety of events year-round, both private and public. In addition to serving the needs of the School of Visual Arts, it is available to the community at large. We welcome you to attend our public events and to rent the space for your event needs.
About the Theatre
Silas (479 seats)
Download the Silas specification pdf here.
PA System (fully independent from cinema sound)
- 1 Soundcraft Si Expression 2 24-Channel Mixer w/ Multi-Digital Option Card
- 2 Meyer Sound UPQ-1P PA Speakers
- Dan Dugan Model E-1A 8 Channel Automatic Mixing Controller
- 2 dbx Graphic EQ/Limiter
- 1 dbx 166xs Compressor/Limiter/Gate
- 1 Rane AD 22s Audio Delay
- 8 Shure ULX-D4 Wireless Receivers
- 8 Shure ULX-D2 Wireless Handheld Microphones (Beta 87)
- 8 Shure ULX-D1 Wireless Body Packs
- 6 Shure WL184 Supercardioid Lavalier Microphones
- 8 Shure MX150 Subminiature Lavalier Microphones
- 2 Countrymen E6 Omnidirectional Earset Microphones ”“ possibly up to 4 available
- 4 Stage Connection Boxes (XLR Male & Female, BNC, Ethernet, & A/C Power)
- 4 Shure SM58 Wired Hand Held Microphones ”“ possibly up to 7 available
- 1 Sennheiser Shotgun Microphone
- 3 Shure MX418/S Tabletop gooseneck Microphones ”“ possibly up to 6 available
- 1 Williams Sound Personal PA 377 Pro FM Listening System
Theatrical Lighting (on a moveable lighting truss)
- 1 ETC Smartfade 1248 – 48 Channel,
- 24 Fader Lighting Board
- 22 ETC Source 4 Ellipsoidal Units
- 8 Apollo Right Arms for DMX controlled Pan and Tilt
Cinema Sound (Dolby Digital 7.1 Surround Sound)
- 3 Meyer Sound EXP Acheron 100/80 Screen Channels
- 16 Meyer Sound EXP HMS-10 Surround Speakers
- 5 Meyer Sound EXP X-800C Subwoofers
- 1 Dolby CP-650 Dolby Digital/Dolby SR Sound Processor
- 1 Dolby DMA-8 Plus Digital Media Adapter
- 2 Meyer Sound Galileo Sound Processors
- 1 Wohler AMPS1-S8 Booth Monitor
Digital Projection (featuring a fully-closing curtain and adjustable side masking)
- 1 BARCO DP4K-32B Ultra-Bright Enhanced 4K DLP Cinema Projector
- 1 DSS200 Dolby Screen Server with 4K + High Frame Rate Dolby Integrated Media Block
- 1 Dolby 3D system with glasses
- 1 AMX System Controller/Scaler/Signal Router/Format Selector
- 1 Sony J-30 SDI – Beta-cam/Beta-cam SP/Beta-cam SX/Digital Beta-cam Deck
- 1 Sony J-H3 HDCAM Deck
- 1 Sony DSR-1800 DVCAM Deck
- 1 Oppo BDP-93 Blu-Ray/ DVD Deck – Region/Zone Free
- 1 Folsom FSR IND-400 HD
- 1 Rane Audio/Video Delay
- 1 Apple Macbook Pro 17” Laptop, and miscellaneous adapters for VGA, HDMI and DVI Outputs
Film Projection (35mm changeover With curtain and fully adjustable left and right masking)
- 2 Kinoton DP-75 35mm Film Projectors
- 2 Kinoton 3K Xenon Lamphouses
- 2 Switching Power Supplies
- 2 Dolby Digital Basement Readers
- 1 Kelmar RTV-8200 Rewind Bench W/ 35mm Splicers
- 2 Sets Lenses for 1.37:1, 1.66:1, 1.85:1, and 2.35:1
- 1 Strong Super Lume-X 2k Xenon Lamphouse
- Miscellaneous Goldberg 35mm House Reels
Recording/Live Streaming (shared between both theatres)
- 3 Sony NEX-FS700UK cameras with 28-135mm & 70-200mm f4 Zoom lenses w/ support (each camera comes with a 64GB memory card and a tripod)
- 1 NewTek TriCaster 460
- 1 Hyperdeck Studio Pro 4K (each deck comes with 2 Sandisk 480GB SSD hard drives)
Projection Screen Sizes
- Height: 18′ 7″
- Width: Scope = 43′ 3″, Flat = 34′ 4″, 1.78 = 33′ 1″
Beatrice (266 seats)
Download the Beatrice specification pdf here.
PA system (fully independent from cinema sound)
- 1 Soundcraft Si Expression 2 24-Channel Mixer w/ Multi-Digital Option Card
- 2 Meyer Sound UPJ-1XP PA Speakers
- Dan Dugan Model E-1A 8 Channel Automatic Mixing Controller
- 2 dbx Graphic EQ/Limiter
- 1 dbx 166xs Compressor/Limiter/Gate
- 1 Rane AD 22s Audio Delay
- 8 Shure ULX-D4 Wireless Receivers
- 8 Shure ULX-D2 Wireless Handheld Microphones (Beta 87)
- 8 Shure ULX-D1 Wireless Body Packs
- 6 Shure WL184 Supercardioid Lavalier Mics
- 8 Shure MX150 Subminiature Lavalier Mics
- 2 Countrymen E6 Omnidirectional Earset Microphones, possibly up to 4 available
- 6 Stage Connection Boxes (XLR Male & Female, BNC, Ethernet, & A/C Power)
- 3 Shure SM58 Wired Hand Held Microphones ”“ possibly up to 7 available
- 3 Shure MX418/S Tabletop gooseneck Microphones ”“ possibly up to 6 available
- 1 Williams Sound Personal PA 377 PRO FM Listening System
Theatrical Lighting (on a full ceiling grid)
- 1 ETC Smartfade 2496 – 96 Channel, 48 Fader Programmable Lighting Board
- 17 ETC PAR Type Lighting Fixtures
- 20 ETC Source 4 Ellipsoidal Lighting Fixtures
Cinema Sound (Dolby Digital 7.1 Surround Sound)
- 3 Meyer Sound EXP Acheron Studio Screen Channels
- 12 Meyer Sound EXP HMS-10 Surround Speakers
- 3 Meyer Sound EXP X-800C Subwoofers
- 1 Dolby CP-650 Dolby Digital/Dolby SR Sound Processor
- 1 Dolby DMA-8 Plus Digital Media Adapter
- 2 Meyer Sound Galileo Sound Processors
- 1 Wohler AMPS1-S8 Booth Monitor
Digital Projection (features a fully closing curtain and adjustable side masking)
- 1 BARCO DP4K-32B Ultra-Bright Enhanced 4K DLP Cinema Projector
- 1 DSS200 Dolby Screen Server with 4K + High Frame Rate Dolby Integrated Media Block
- 1 Dolby 3D system with glasses
- 1 AMX System Controller/Scaler/Signal Router/Format Selector
- 1 Sony J-30 SDI – Beta-cam/Beta-cam SP/Beta-cam SX/Digital Beta-cam Deck
- 1 Sony J-H3 HDCAM Deck
- 1 Sony DSR-1800 DVCAM Deck
- 1 Oppo BDP-83 Blu-Ray/ DVD Deck – Region/Zone Free
- 1 Barco IMAGE PRO II DUAL SDI
- 1 Rane Audio/Video Delay
- 1 Apple Macbook Pro 17” Laptop, and miscellaneous adapters for VGA, HDMI and DVI Outputs
Film Projection (35mm changeover with curtain and fully adjustable masking)
- 2 Strong Simplex 1014 35mm Film Projectors
- 2 Strong Super 80 4K Xenon Lamphouses
- 2 IREM Solid State Rectifier Power Supplies
- 2 Dolby Cat. No 700 Dolby Digital Soundhead Penthouse Readers
- 1 Kelmar RTV-8200 Rewind Bench W/ 35mm Splicers
- 2 Sets Lenses for 1.37:1, 1.66:1, 1.85:1, and 2.35:1
- Miscellaneous Goldberg 35mm House Reels
Recording/Live Streaming (shared between both theatres)
- 3 Sony NEX-FS700UK cameras with 28-135mm & 70-200mm f4 Zoom lenses w/ support (each camera comes with a 64GB memory card and a tripod)
- 1 NewTek TriCaster 460
- 1 Hyperdeck Studio Pro 4K (each deck comes with 2 Sandisk 480GB SSD hard drives)
Projection Screen Sizes
- Height: 13′ 11″
- Width: Scope = 32′ 6″, Flat = 25′ 8″, 1.78 = 24′ 9″
Additional Spaces
Lobby
- Comfortably accommodates 100-125 guests for receptions and red carpets, but can hold many more.
- Four (4) video monitors and eight (8) poster cases can display promotional materials
- Display tables and easels available
Green Room
- Can serve as a VIP area, event production office, coat check, or storage
Box Office
- Can be used to sell or distribute tickets
Exterior
- Digital marquee display can be used for event announcements
- Ample sidewalk area and sheltering marquee are perfect for red-carpet events
Basement
- Includes office space/secondary green room
- Storage space
- Prep kitchen with refrigerators and ice machine
How to Find Us
Mass Transit
- C/E to 23rd Street (at 8th Avenue)
- 1 to 23rd Street (at 7th Avenue)
- F/M to 23rd Street (at 6th Avenue)
- N/R/W to 23rd Street (at 5th Avenue/Broadway)
- 6 to 23rd Street (at Park Avenue)
- New Jersey PATH (at 6th Avenue)
- Downtown M11 (on 9th Avenue)
- Uptown M20 bus (on 8th Avenue)
- Crosstown M23 bus (stops at 8th and 9th Avenues)
- Amtrak, Long Island Rail Road, & New Jersey Transit to Penn Station (West 31st Street & 8th Avenue)
Car
23rd Street is a two-way thoroughfare with metered parking and a parking lot on 23rd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues. Other nearby lots can be found on ParkWhiz. Taxis are abundant and available day and night outside the theatre.
Local Businesses & Attractions
SVA Theatre is located in the heart of the bustling Chelsea neighborhood, home to some of New York’s top attractions (including the nearby High Line), amazing art galleries, hip hotels, and fabulous restaurants — many of which are constantly changing! We suggest using Google Maps to see what’s nearby.
E-Vehicles
E-bikes, e-scooters, hoverboards, and other recreational mobility devices are prohibited in SVA’s campus buildings, including SVA Theatre. This does not apply to electric wheelchairs and other approved assistive devices required for accessibility.
Accessibility
SVA Theatre is committed to accessibility for all patrons. The venue is ADA compliant and provides listening devices for the hearing impaired. Patrons should visit the “Attending an Event” section of our FAQs page for more specific information.