[SML] Stairs from audience to stage

[Dave Vick]

My old place, the Wharton Center at MSU, did not have fixed stairs to
the stage in the Great Hall. But we did (or still do? I assume so)
have purpose-built stair units we could put into place from the pit up
to the stage if the production dictated thus - commencement
ceremonies, FFA conventions, &c.  There are, however, ramps built from
the house floor on either side of the stage up to Stage Level,
permitting wheelchair access and shows frequently used these ramps to
bring patrons up onstage.

On the few touring shows that wanted stairway access to the stage from
the house (I'm lookin' at you, Lion King & A Chorus Line), they would
usually bring their own staircases in and we'd remove seats and adapt
row access as neded - a nifty trick when you have continental seating,
I'm here to tell ya.

On the other stage in the building (the 600-seat Pasant Theatre - a
thrust stage with a footprint mirroring Shakespeare's Globe), the
aisle stairs in the house led all the way down to the gutters around
the thrust and access was easy-peasy.

-DV
(yeah, him)