VENUE 065
...the clever auditorium design and planning alongside the exciting technical facilities has
delivered a theatre that any cosmopolitan city would be proud of.
visiting performers, and in the facilities it has managed to carefully pack into the two performance venues on the relatively small footprint the building occupies.
The auditorium is cantilevered to avoid the necessity for columns in the foyer, and the copper-walled studio theatre sits six metres above the foyer café, affording more public space at ground floor level. The main auditorium design is a considered and uncluttered response to a brief that demanded a definite and clear sense of identity. Intimate and focused it incorporates a traditional lyric form proscenium stage into a vibrant, fresh and dramatically modern environment. It’s this palpable contrast between the bright simplicity of FOH and the rich modern splendour of the auditorium that reaps an involun- tary gasp of pleasure from visitors. Deep orange leather seats glow warmly under the twinkling house lighting, while dark painted plaster walls, lined with American Black Walnut planks arrayed in strips on the side walls, are both decorative and - according to Keith Williams - help prevent confused lateral sound reflection. Beautifully curved balcony fronts, featuring ingeniously fashioned recessed cable trays to carry lighting and sound cabling, form a horseshoe shape that joins the proscenium either side of the stage. Above, a sculpted ceiling not only pushes audience focus directly onto the stage but also provides acoustic treatment to the room. But that isn’t all. The main house can now accommodate a 1,200- strong audience, a whopping 26% increase in capacity on its prede- cessor. The fact that the venue is built on the same footprint as the old theatre and that Williams has also managed to add a 150-seat studio theatre makes this all the more remarkable. Charcoalblue’s Gavin Green explains his company’s remit: “The Charcoalblue team worked hand in hand with Keith Williams’ team, forging a strong collaborative relationship. Under our care was the design, planning and technical specification of the auditorium and backstage areas for both the main auditorium and the new multi-con- figurable Marlowe Studio. It was essential to provide a flexible main- space that can as easily host opera as amplified music and dance. Technical infrastructure had to accommodate shows touring with their own equipment but also the venue needed to stock enough loose equipment to host one nighters and in-house productions.” Working alongside Keith Williams Architects on site throughout the build was Senior Project Manager for Charcoalblue, Paul Crosbie. “Particular emphasis has been on the very complex, building-wide functional planning, auditorium planning and specialist theatre systems design, including the stage lighting, audiovisual, and stage engineering installations,” reveals Green. “Our primary objective was to deliver an economically viable, 1,200 capacity auditorium, with an updated and future-proofed infrastructure, as it has to easily accom- modate the anticipated diverse programme of touring shows now and in the future. So far, future scheduling already includes internationally renowned opera companies, West End musicals, international ballet, ice shows and a circus.”
From the outset of the project the objective was to design a minimal
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yet adequate infrastructure for delivery as part of the capital project, which could be extended with relative ease as part of a longer-term revenue-funded programme of works.
Crosbie explains: “This objective led to the selection of ETC Sensor modular dimming equipment. This meant a lower number of dimming modules could be procured under the main contract to be supple- mented by the end-user at a later date.” Originally, the design of the stage lighting control system did not include a control desk - the original theatre had recently purchased a Strand 520i and intended to retain it for use in the new building. However, things change and, jumping forwards four years, a redis- tribution of funds in the technical component of the capital budget allowed for the full population of the dimming racks to be installed. It also presented the opportunity to meet with the newly appointed Technical Manager - Ben Ranner - to discuss his control desk prefer- ences: this resulted in the Strand 520i becoming the back-up and a new ETC Ion being selected.
In terms of the audiovisual system, the head of sound from the original theatre heavily informed its design, Crosbie explains: “Over a number of years a substantial stock of d&b [audiotechnik] speakers had been procured and it was intended that a number of these would be re-used in the new building. The decision to go with a d&b
Image by Matthew Green
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