LASERDOME
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one-of-a-kind laser theater attracts customers in rural Pennsylvania
by Freda Parker
Joseph Inslee of Manheim, Pennsylvania co-owns something unique. It's a cone-shaped Monolithic Dome laser theater intentionally designed to look like Darth Vader's helmet and in it he presents laser concerts. Inslee says,"Going to a laser concert is very much like going to a movie. From the published schedule in the paper you know what's going to be playing, so you buy your ticket ($7), go in and sit down.
"On the ceiling of the dome," Inslee continues, "we play laser imagery. Some look like spirographs, some are cartoons, synchronized to music and narration." Selections range from oldies such as the Beatles to Beastie Boys, with each concert lasting about an hour.
While researching dome structures to build as a planetarium, Inslee surfed onto MDI's website. "That was really lucky," Inslee says, "because such facilities usually cost about a half million dollars, and we needed something more economical. We saved eighty percent of our building costs by using a Monolithic Dome."
Inslee and his two business partners contacted MDI and began working on a design for an one-hundred-seat laser theater. Final plans called for an Airform shaped like a giant cone, with a bottom diameter of sixty-one feet, a top diameter of fifty-one feet, and a height of thirty-five feet.
"The building time was a real plus," Inslee says. "I think the dome went up in about two weeks, from start to finish. We were very happy. The results were great."
Nick Carole of Lightning Dome Construction, Utica, NY did the construction of the Laserdome. He was helped by Javier Figueroa (project foreman, Monolithic Constructors Inc.) who trained the local laborers.
The Laserdome encompasses 1760 square feet, and Inslee says, "Has room for the two additional floors we may add some day." Because it's a theater, the dome has no windows. Round tubes, ten feet in diameter, provide passage to exits and an adjoining steel building with more computerized and laserized entertainment, a gift shop and snack bar.
But, according to Inslee, it's the dome itself that often brings people in for the first time. He says, "The Airform is brilliant white and it looks good. We sit thirty feet off a four-lane highway at an exit to a small business area. People driving by stop and ask, 'What is this dome'" They look at it from the outside. They feel the Airform. Then they walk in and "Wow" it's a lot bigger inside than what it looks like outside." And then we tell them that we built it for a $100,000, and they're really amazed."
The Laserdome opened in November 1999. Inslee says that during the winter the heat would sporadically come on and "run for ten minutes, then go off for hours. And we have yet to have the air conditioning turn on. We set the temperature control at seventy-two, and it just seems to stay that way."
As for acoustics, Inslee says, "They couldn't be better for a laser show. The dome is very reflective. Sound goes out, hits the wall and comes back toward the audience. It's loud! But that's what you want for a laser concert, and the acoustics are just like they (MDI) told us they would be."
The Laserdome is the first of its kind in Manheim - an area famous for its rolling farmlands, covered bridges, and Pennsylvania Dutch cooking - certainly not for laser concerts. But Inslee says that their attraction is doing well. "Our customers range in age from eight to thirty-five. We do birthday parties with half-hour cartoon shows for the little kids, and there's stuff for teens and older folks," he says.
As far as Inslee knows, the Laserdome is the "only stand-alone laser show that we can find in the world. Others are in science museums, but we're the only ones who have a dome as a laser theater. "They're so easy to build, fast, and they suit this purpose perfectly," he continues. "Any little community that might want a planetarium could build one of these for a lot less and have one of their own."
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Lightning Dome Construction In 1998 when Joseph Inslee and his partners began planning their Laserdome, they asked Nick Carole if he knew anything about Monolithic Domes. "Well I didn't," Nick said."I'd been in conventional construction for 25 years - since leaving the military in 1974. I learned my trade on-the-job from old time Italian masters. But I didn't know anything about Monolithic Domes, so I went down and took the course in Texas at one of their workshops." Attending the MDI Workshop led to a turning point in Nick's career. "I realized that I could combine what I already knew about construction with what I learned about Monolithic Domes and really do great custom homes," Nick said. He became a certified dome builder, and, with partner Denis Vella formed Lightning Dome Construction, Utica, New York. Nick, as president of Lightning Dome Construction, is in charge of all dome projects, while Vice President Denis conducts sales and marketing. The Laserdome was this fledgling company's first Monolithic Dome project. "Nick worked with the owners on every facet of it, from the conception of the idea to the custom finishing of the inside" Denis said. More recently Nick and Denis got an East Coast investment firm interested in a Monolithic Dome ice skating rink. They are also working on a custom dome home for another client. Nick said, "I have my pull-behind trailer and I go where the project is. I really enjoy working on domes. I have a lot of faith in Monolithic Domes. They're going to be big - right here in the Northeast. I think their time has arrived." - FP |
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