066 VENUE
capacity of the auditorium.
The stage machinery design was relatively complex in that the majority of the new systems had to be housed in existing structure. The overstage systems were all designed to be installed within the steelwork of the retained flytower - this was one of the key consid- erations, alongside cost, that resulted in the selection of a manu- ally-operated counterweight flying system as opposed to a powered system. The sub-stage systems had to be located on top of the existing basement slab - this also proved challenging when develop- ing the orchestra pit elevator, as the distance between the top of the slab and the floor of the orchestra pit was only 650mm at the highest point. A number of lifting systems were investigated and a Serapid rigid chain lift was finally selected in specific response to the minimal operating depth.
Image by Helene Binet sound system was made.”
As a receiving venue it was anticipated that productions of a particu- lar scale would tour their own mixing desks, which meant that the in-house desk would be required for smaller scale shows. In light of that, a 32-channel Yamaha LS9-32 was selected because, in much the same way as the ETC Sensor racks are expandable, the Yamaha can very easily be expanded to 64 channels just by adding external preamps and Mini-YGDAI interface cards. This is very much in keep- ing with the overarching design strategy for the infrastructure. The scale of the desk was also an important factor in making this choice as the footprint of the sound mixing position directly impacts upon the
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
MAIN AUDITORIUM SOUND 8 x d&b audiotechnik Q7 speaker; 21 x d&b audiotechnik E0 speaker; 2 x d&b audiotechnik Q-SUB sub bass unit; 2 x d&b audiotechnik MAX12 monitor speaker; d&b audiotechnik D6 and D12 amplifiers; 1 x Yamaha LS9-32 mixing console; GDS stage management desk; RTS technical intercom system; Ampetronics induction loop; Sennheiser infra-red system; Shure, Beyerdynamic and AKG mics
LIGHTING 3 x ETC Sensor 96-way dimmer rack comprising 224 x 3kW dimmers; 22 x 5kW dimmers; 36 x 3kW non-dims; 6 x 5kW non- dims; plus houselights and worklights dimmers and contactors; 1 x ETC Ion control desk; ETC Source Four profiles, Philips Selecon profiles, fresnels and cyclorama floods, James Thomas Par Cans and Robert Juliat Vedette followspots
STUDIO THEATRE
SOUND 4 x d&b audiotechnik Ci90 speaker; 2 x d&b audiotechnik Ci-SUB bass unit; d&b audiotechnik D6 and D12 amplifiers; Yamaha LS9-16 mixing console; GDS stage management desk; RTS technical intercom system; Ampetronics induction loop
LIGHTING 1 x ETC Sensor 96-way dimmer rack; ETC SmartFade 12/48 lighting control desk; ETC Source Four profiles; Philips Selecon fresnels and PCs; James Thomas Par Cans and cyclorama floods
www.marlowetheatre.com
The installation of both the stage lighting and audio-visual systems was undertaken by technical theatre specialists Northern Light, with whom Charcoalblue has worked successfully on a number of projects - including the £61million Curve Theatre in Leicester. While the stage engineering works were undertaken by CentreStage, who recently completed similar works at the Cube Theatre in Corby, again to a Charcoalblue design.
The much-needed increase in seat capacity has been achieved by replacing the original theatres single-level seating rake with a three- tiered, traditional horseshoe style auditorium comprising stalls, circle and balcony.
The circle and balcony wrap around the auditorium engaging the proscenium on each side. This serves the purpose of concentrating the focus of the audience. It also makes for a very social environment and helps to create that all-important intimacy between audience and performers. Crosbie continues: “The old auditorium had less than 1,000 seats with the furthest being a quite considerable 35 metres from stage. We worked in collaboration with Keith Williams Archi- tecture and a strong client team not only to increase seat count to 1200, but also to bring the audience much closer to the action. The furthest seat is now just 25 metres from stage.” Mark Everett, Director of the theatre, is delighted: “The sense of grandeur in this wonderful new auditorium is coupled with a feeling of intimacy. Everything’s so much closer to the stage than the old theatre could ever be. It’s a great sense of shared experience and that’s what live theatre is all about.”
At the front of the stalls, there is a series of three elevators installed by CentreStage, equipped with seating wagons. These allow for the creation of various orchestra pit formats, the largest of which can accommodate a respectable 80 musicians. The Studio has capacity for up to 300 people in flat-floor mode, or 150 people when seated on the retractable seating system. The seating can also be deployed progressively to allow for variation in the size of the performers’ playing area as required, while side walls that create entrance corridors either side of the seating can be rolled back to open the space out completely. In October, the new Marlowe Theatre hit the ground running, opening on time and on budget, with its first raft of productions. Following a weekend of one-off launch events, the technically complex Cirque Éloize’s show - iD - opened to sold-out audiences and rave reviews. This is a show that could not have been considered in the old build- ing.
There is a long history of support for live theatre and story-telling in Canterbury. The Marlowe will continue that for many years to come. The brave modern architecture, the clever auditorium design and planning alongside the exciting technical facilities has delivered a theatre that any cosmopolitan city would be proud of.
www.mondodr.com
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