MDC Kendall McCarthy: seating, projection and outdoor support

Does McCarthy seat 274 or 440?

Alfred L. McCarthy Auditorium is in McCarthy Hall, room 6120, building 6 at MDC Kendall Campus, with postal address 11011 SW 104 Street, Miami, FL 33176. It is not the building M theater, R402/R403, K413 or the MDC North auditorium. A Miami postal address alone does not identify the authority responsible for reviewing an installation.

The county locations table, dated 2023, identifies MDC Kendall as Unincorporated County. That territorial reference does not determine who must approve a structure, connection or effect on an educational campus; confirm the competent authority and project review route with the institution.

The auditorium page lists these references. It does not identify how seating is expanded, which mechanism or furniture is used, or what will be available on the event date.

Request a plan identifying enabled rows, accessible positions, access, FOH, cameras and added equipment. If control positions or LED occupy audience space, review the layout before fixing ticket quantity. Do not add chairs or operate a presumed movable seating system to reach the maximum without an authorized procedure.

Can Talking Place accommodate the entire audience during a break?

Talking Place courtyard is between building 6 and Fred Shaw Plaza. MDC presents it as outdoor catering support for events in McCarthy 6120. Its page lists 1474 ft², 60 people at banquet rounds and 50 in theater layout. These are references for different formats, not capacities to add together.

On those references, it cannot accommodate the whole audience of either published auditorium layout simultaneously. Define how many people will be outside at once, furniture, serving stations, queues, circulation and return to the room. If the plan needs staggered breaks or extra space, agree those before announcing the break.

Fred Shaw Plaza and Building 2 Breezeway are separate spaces; proximity does not include them in a booking. Confirm the rain alternative, equipment protection and waiting area as well. Moving tables, a sound system or people indoors changes the occupancy and plan requiring acceptance.

If audio or video is requested in the courtyard, define source, destination, operation and coverage as another system. A projection booth in the auditorium does not establish an outdoor connection or streaming service.

What should I check before a presentation or screening?

Confirm with the technician what the booth includes: projector, screen, lens, inputs, route from the stage, playback audio and operating position. The page identifies no models, connectors, resolution, frame rate or controls; do not prepare a connection or room file by assuming those details.

Prepare a sample with small text, edge marks, framing image and a reference voice. Using the agreed chain, check readability from positions actually in use and that the voice reaches the intended destination. Repeat the check with the presentation lighting.

To distinguish a file fault from a signal fault, check local playback at the source first. If it works there, the technician should check selected input, connection and room destination one segment at a time. Correct video does not prove audio follows the same route. Do not change resolution, clock or overall routing to compensate for a symptom without identifying the system.

Keep the accepted sample and patch. If a change fails, stop that playback and restore the previously accepted source or connection with the technician; retain the original file and an agreed playback backup.

How can I prepare lighting without knowing the installed console?

The page advertises professional lighting and technical support but identifies no console, version, fixtures, dimmers, patch or control protocol. Request inventory and the room file before preparing a show, importing scenes or proposing accessories.

For a conference with projection, define what needs light: lectern, face, circulation or background. Review a screen-reading lighting state and a speaking state with the operator; observe both image contrast and facial visibility from the audience. If a camera is requested, include its check in the scope as well.

Prepare a cue list with trigger and responsible operator. If only a lighting change is needed, alter one state at a time through the operator and retain the previous state. Do not use emergency-lighting circuits in the design or disconnect safety systems to improve screen black levels.

What remains to confirm for LED, rigging, power and load-in?

The pages publish no rigging points, floor loads, usable height, electrical capacity or load-in route for 6120. Installed equipment also does not establish spare capacity for an outside production. Prepare the following documentation before sending equipment.

Building maps and signs help locate the room; visitor parking is not load-in authorization or a flight-case route. Define technical access and surface protection with the campus.

For haze, smoke, lasers, flame effects or pyrotechnics, submit equipment, model, manual, location and intended operation to establish institutional acceptance and applicable authorizations. The page contains no general effects authorization. Keep detection active and an effects-free alternative until review is complete.

Does a booking include technicians, setup and authorizations?

The Kendall portal distinguishes internal requests from outside groups. For internal use, after booking approval it directs users to request Custodial Services Event Setup and/or Media Services. External group bookings are coordinated with the Office of Campus Administration. Space approval alone does not establish that these services or the required inventory are contracted.

Include setup, testing, opening, break, return and removal in the schedule. If audience quantity, booth, FOH, LED, courtyard, demand or effects change, update the plan and scope and review them before making the change. These pages publish no universal project approval period or price.

Keep the previous revision of the plan, patch and cue list. If the new proposal is not accepted, remove it from scope and restore the last configuration still authorized. Final handover should include agreed inventory, files and system state; any furniture or mechanism movement belongs to authorized personnel.