After hurricane Katrina ravaged the coastal cities of Mississippi in August 2005, IP Casino Resort & Spa had to undertake the complete restoration of their installations in Biloxi. In 2008, Sceno Plus was commissioned to improve the auditorium and to double the seating capacity without increasing the volume and footprint of the old theatre. Designing and building the showroom within the limits of a tight construction schedule (6 months) and budget (US$ 5.5 M) were also part of that challenging mandate.
The original IP showroom was part of a casino complex erected on a floating vessel in the BiloxiBay since 1997. The old theatre was fairly small, had poor sightlines and could only accommodate 700 stackable seats. The new venue, Studio A, can now host more than 1,350 guests in comfortable theatre seats with perfect sightlines and very close to stage.
The new showroom is divided in three different seating sections:
· The flat floor portion located immediately in front of stage permits comfortably seated patrons a closer contact with the performers (191 seats).
· The main floor consists in a series of wide stepping tiers providing best sightlines and holds the sound mix position which allows a better sound control and acoustical performance (853 seats).
· The VIP balcony offers luxurious comfort and enhanced experience to invited guests (311 seats).