in detail
collaborative design effort between Theatreplan, the architects and the structural engineers Horgan Lynch. A manual flying system was incorporated into the grid design with 48 counterweight sets and rolling beams to carry chain hoists.
The auditorium The shape of the auditorium and unusual seating layout may be a surprise at first sight for the Lyric’s returning audience. The diamond-shaped space is single tiered with side slips and a central aisle that carves a furrow from the rear entrance diagonally across rows towards the stage, so no one row has the same number of seats. Theatreplan’s Neil Morton developed a novel seating plan based on an asymmetric layout that involved setting each seat’s position individually for an optimum view to the stage. This would have been unremarkable if the seats were mounted and swivelled on centre posts, but the design chosen from Italian manufacturers Deko was to be firmly anchored to the floor by fixed side stanchions. During the installation process, each seat was rotated to a pre-determined geometry to provide the optimum viewing
position before being fixed in place. A prerequisite of the new theatre was the
need to create a performance space that could be both intimate and epic with attention focused on the proscenium area. Intimacy can be imposed or reduced by changing the ‘fourth wall’ - the audience’s view of the production. In most theatres, the proscenium arch
represents a so-called ‘dead technical zone’ separating the actors from the audience and being in a fixed position it is almost impossible to change. For the Lyric, the vertical height was simple to adjust – a flying front border did the trick. The real magic appeared, however, with Clive Odom’s design for the vertical sides of the proscenium. A moveable tower on each side is clad in wooden panels to match the auditorium’s interior styling, and this structure incorporates the technical facilities which would otherwise be installed around a fixed proscenium. Panels at three levels on the face of the towers may be opened as required to produce apertures for lighting, loudspeakers or for additional stage entrances, or even a Juliet balcony. The towers may be pushed offstage into the side walls to give a clear stage for an ‘epic’ environment.
Versatile stage design The original Lyric had a thrust stage, but this was thought to be too restricting in the new venue. Prompted by the success of the modular stage system for the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, Steeldeck platforms were used for the main performing space. This formula provides a flexible resource for directors and designers, as sections may be
removed to create performance access to understage via staircases or trap doors, or added to provide extra height. A key element of the stage design was a
forestage elevator. Not only does it provide a thrust extension to the stage apron when elevated, it also expands the auditorium when lowered to stalls level and creates an orchestra pit when it continues down to the sub-stage level. It also facilitates storage for the front two rows of stalls seating when they are not in use by transporting them to the sub-auditorium storage level. The new studio theatre provides a
rectangular-shaped flat floor performance space with a retractable seating unit by Belgian-based company Jezet Seating, and a selection of rostra and loose seats that between them can combine to produce 24 variations of staging and seating. All formats are designed to pass the various codes for public performances, including entertainment licences, public safety, escape routes and disabled access. The studio has been equipped to the
latest standard for small-scale public performances and, unusually for a studio space of this size, it has a tensioned wire grid covering the full area of the space. Designed and maintained by Slingco, but locally-manufactured by Metaltech Engineering, the tensioned wire grid provides an ‘optically transparent’ floor from which technicians are able to rig lights safely. Belfast’s Lyric Theatre represented an unusual and challenging experience for the entire design team, and signals the continued regeneration of the city.
www.theatreplan.co.uk
The theatre has been built in a blend of Belfast brick, steel, concrete and Iroko timber
bflmagazine.co.uk 35
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