Building for the Performing Arts 5 - Adaptable Auditoria

7/28/2019 Building for the Performing Arts 5 - Adaptable Auditoria

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TheatreplanBuilding for the Performing Arts

Adaptable Auditor ia

Adaptable Auditoria

Building for the Performing Arts Guide 5 J uly/August 2011 Theatreplan LLP

This guide summarises the methodsused to change the form and/or sizeof a theatre auditorium.

There are many ways of making

a theatre space adaptable toaccommodate different types ofperformance or to change thefunction of the venue; for example,a change from proscenium to thruststage format, from theatre to concerthall, from seated to flatfloor, or evenfrom rows of seats to cabaret tables.

Transforming an auditorium cansometimes be achieved simplyby moving objects manually,but, depending on the scale ofthe change, stage engineeringtechniques may be required toachieve the result in a reasonabletime and with the minimum number

of staff. Quite large objects canbe moved by hand when mountedon air bearings; a technique oftenadopted in the theatre for movinglarge blocks of seats. Other solutionsemploy swivel castors, wheels ontracks, or lifts to enable verticalmovement.

This guide illustrates some of the different methods

used to achieve a flexible auditorium format and the

way in which theatre spaces can be adapted to suit

the various challenges that modern performances

demand:

1. Simple staging adaption

2. Basic flexible systems

3. Adaptable courtyard theatres

4. Adjusting ceiling height

5. Moving seating and walls

6. Major mechanised systems

I can take any empty space andcall it a bare stage. A man walks

across this empty space whilst

someone is watching him, and

this is all that is needed for an act

of theatre to be engaged.

Peter Brook, The Empty Space

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www.theatreplan.co.uksupporting arts organisations at all stages of the building process


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1. Simple Staging Adaption

The simplest form of adaptable space is a flatfloor

where a performer is surrounded by a standing

audience. This can work well for up to 5 rows of

people. A greater capacity therefore requires a

larger circle. The crowd will naturally gather as

closely as possible whilst allowing the performer

space for their act.

However, if the audience expects to sit down, the

dynamic becomes more complex.

With an audience seated on a flatfloor the

performer would need to be raised so that the

viewer can see more than from the waist upwards.

The alternative is to raise the audience seating

in relation to the performer. For a balancedrelationship the audience should be distributed

equally from the performers eye level: half above

and half below.

Performers are masked by those seated towards the front

Performers are more visible but in a domineering position

Audience seated on three heights of chair on a flatfloor

The tiers may also retract to offer a flatfloor option

The audience-performer dynamic:

Audience and performers are in a balanced dynamic


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Simple Staging Adaption

The George Bernard Shaw Theatre

RADA, London

Slim profile stackable chairs may be moved or

stored more economically than bulky upholstered

seats or benches. A clever device is to use three

heights of chair, as provided for the George Bernard

Shaw Theatre. This approach works well for three

audience rows around a small stage and avoids

platforms, treads and rails. Not all audiences will

like sitting in the lower or higher chairs, but theatres

that choose to adopt different types of seating also

find that this can heighten the experience for their

audience.

Architects: Avery Associates ArchitectsTheatre Consultants: Theatre Project Consultants

The Michael Frayn Space

Hampstead Theatre, London

In this example of a flexible performing area, the

Michael Frayn Space at the Hampstead Theatre

includes an integrated system of benches and

seating tiers. The comfortable bench seats sit

directly onto the tiers which makes them light to

move and compact in storage. There are numerous

versions of tiered seating components designed

for this type of application; many are available for

hire or purchase for festival or arena presentations.

Others are custom made for a specific auditorium.

Architects: Bennetts AssociatesTheatre Consultants: Theatreplan


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Where there is a need for a simple means of

accommodating different sizes of audience, basic

systems can be used to change the seating and

auditorium layouts for a variety of theatre and

community events.

Broadway Theatre

Barking, London

The Broadway Theatre is a 340-seat conversion

of a town hall with a simple system to transform

a flat-floor community space into a theatre. The

main seating area is retractable and connects with

fixed seating in the balcony and some side seats to

wrap the audience around the room.

A stage riser is formed by removing floor panels to

create a shallow pit in front of the stage, into which

seats are set for the front few rows on rostra. When

not required as a theatre the room can be returned

to a flat-floor space by retracting the seating and

replacing the floor panels that cover the pit.

Manual and power-assisted suspensions are

provided for hanging curtains, scenery and lights.

Architects: Foster Wilson ArchitectsTheatre Consultants: Theatreplan

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2. Basic Flexible Systems


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Hampstead Theatre

Swiss Cottage, London

Theatres enjoying a regular small audience have

to be able to respond occasionally to the needs of

larger audiences. Seats not sold in a balcony can

be made invisible to those in the stalls until demand

requires them. Moving walls and curtains are not

satisfactory for cutting this space off unless they are

integrated into the design of the room, but at the

Hampstead Theatre the design of the balcony and

the lighting enable this to be achieved simply by

leaving it dark.

Hampstead has the ability to raise the stage to

the level of the auditorium entrances and have

the auditoriumfl

at. The seats are moved on air-bearings to change the form at the front of the

room.

Architects: Bennetts AssociatesTheatre Consultants: Theatreplan

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Basic Flexible Systems


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The Anvi l

Basingstoke, Hampshire

Where a hall is to be used for concerts as well as

theatrical performances, it will be necessary to

eliminate the proscenium. Along with retractable

seating and a forestage elevator in the Anvil,

the tormentors and teaser of the proscenium

fold up for storage under the stage for concert

performances. The surrounding fascia is made of

a special fire-proof material carried on large rollers

above the stage.

This hall does not have a fly tower, but it does

have some over-stage electric hoists, together

with manually-operated hemp suspensions. It can

present symphony and rock concerts, epic dramaand musicals, but the fixed platform width is too

narrow for dance companies.

Architects: The Arts TeamTheatre Consultants: Theatreplan



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The Grove Theatre

Dunstable

The Grove Theatre accommodates 777 in the stalls

and circle and has a flexible system for the stalls

floor and orchestra pit. The stalls seating can be

removed on palettes into a store under the stage

and partly on a retractable unit towards the rear of

the stalls thus enabling this area to be used for flat

floor events.

With the seating in place, an orchestra pit can

be formed or the pit elevator can be raised to

stage level to create a forestage. The orchestra

pit/forestage platform lift is mechanised, but the

seating wagons are moved by hand.

Architects: Glenn Howells ArchitectsTheatre Consultants: Theatreplan



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Small entertainment venues that anticipate a wide

variety of creative production styles often benefit

from a courtyard theatre format.

The Cottesloe Theatre

National Theatre, London

The Cottesloe Theatre demonstrates a different

sort of adaptability: that for a production rather

than for a function. In its basic end-stage form, with

seating on the two gallery levels, this remarkable

space seats about 400 people. This number can

vary widely with the arrangement used: variations

include proscenium, thrust stage, traverse, in-the-

round, custom-designed and promenade formats.

Architects: Denys Lasdun

Theatre Consultants: Theatre Projects Consultants

3. Adaptable Courtyard Theatres


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Adaptable Courtyard Theatres


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Takkellof tet (Studio Stage)

Operaen, Copenhagen

These arrangements of the seating and towers use

rectilinear forms. Some of the towers can be stored

in the scene dock outside the studio and a number

of free forms of seating can also be created.



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Takkellof tet (Studio Stage)

Operaen, Copenhagen

This space uses a sophisticated combination of

retractable seating and towers, which are moved on

air-bearings in order to create a number of theatre

forms and to accommodate different numbers of

people. A selection of ten of these performance

arrangements are shown here. The studio has a

modular tensioned-wire grid with electric hoists

above the whole area.

Architects: Henning Larsen ArchitectsTheatre Consultants: Theatreplan



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Theatre Royal Plymouth

Devon

The Theatre Royal has 1320 seats on three levels,

but this number can be reduced to 791 when the

ceiling is lowered to the level of the upper circlerail. The ceiling is carried on suspended screws

mounted in the roof void.

Architects: Peter Moro ArchitectsTheatre Consultants: Carr & Angier

Another approach in larger theatres that sometimes

need only to accommodate smaller audiences (for

example, for drama as opposed to opera or musical

theatre) is to close off the top balcony by lowering

the ceiling. A smaller audience will feel more

comfortable in a room that appears to be almost

full. A more appropriately-sized room will also offer

a re-scaled acoustic environment from the closer

proximity of reflecting surfaces when the ceiling is

lowered.

4. Moving Ceilings


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Milton Keynes Theatre

Buckinghamshire

A similar principle is used in the theatre in Milton

Keynes. This theatre has a stalls, circle and upper

circle with a total of 1400 seats.

Architects: Andrzej Blonski ArchitectsTheatre Consultants: Carr & Angier

Moving Ceilings


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A number of theatres make changes to the form

of the stage by moving rostra or by having one or

more elevators that can raise or lower the area

between the stage and the audience to create an

orchestra pit. This can allow a larger audience to be

present for drama or when recorded music is used

and can also allow the shape of the stage to be

changed. In extreme circumstances the stage can

be converted into a catwalk for fashion shows and

similar events.

De Montfort Hall

Leicester

At De Montfort Hall, the stalls seating is on seating

wagons and these can be set up in various formsto suit an event, or they can all be lowered on one

of two elevators and stored under the auditorium.

One of the elevators can form an orchestra pit and

the other, at the rear of the auditorium, raises the

rear seat wagons to create a tier that meets the

permanent balcony.

Architects: Burrell Foley Fischer LLPTheatre Consultants: Theatreplan (1994 adaptations)


Theatreplan



5. Moving Seating and Walls


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The Dome

Brighton

This historic venue is Grade 1 listed and the

business plan indicated that it could not produce

enough income unless it was able to present a

wide range of performances: classical and popular

music concerts, musical and drama productions

and special events. One important criterion - that

the stalls floor could be cleared of seats completely

- was achieved by storing the unused seating

wagons in a new basement store below the stalls.

A second level of excavation was eliminated by

folding down the seats and stacking them one

above another. This enabled the capital cost to be

reduced significantly.

As space was limited on stage, the choir stalls are

now stored vertically on the rear wall. To convert

from a concert platform to a theatre, the side organ

screens and header drive forward to form the

proscenium. All this has given the Dome a new

lease of life.

Architects: The Arts Team ArchitectsTheatre Consultants: Theatreplan (2002 adaptations)




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Moving Seating and Walls


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The Derngate

Northampton

The potential changes in format are greater still

at the Derngate. This hall converts from a flat

floor for exhibitions, sporting events, trade shows,

weddings, and banquets, to a 1600-seat theatre.

Similarly, a concert hall format with choir seating

or additional audience placed behind the orchestra

can be achieved.

The change of format is achieved by moving

seating wagons and side-wall towers on air-

bearings. Under the auditorium is a large garage for

the seating wagons. This solution was pioneered by

Theatreplans John Whitaker and Richard Brett in

1983.

This is a receiving house and has a full heightfly

tower allowing scenery to be flown above the stage.

It also has a safety curtain and the proscenium side

walls can be moved on-stage for theatre and right

off-stage for concerts and flatfloor events.

Architects: Renton Howard Wood Levin ArchitectsTheatre Consultants: Theatre Projects Consultants



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6. Major Mechanised Systems

Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center

Philadelphia

One of the simplest mechanisms is to use a

revolving stage. In the 650-seat Perelman Theater

an extra-large turntable has been installed which

carries an orchestra shell upstage for when the

space is to become a concert venue. Use of the

revolve means that the standing scenery on stage

can remain and is rotated to the rear as the concert

shell is brought into view. There is a full fly tower

over the stage. In addition, an orchestra pit lift and

an elevator under the stalls allow the seats to be

removed for standing performances and for flat

floor events.

Architects: Rafael Violy Architects

Theatre Consultants: Theatre Projects Consultants


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Major Mechanised Systems

Chandler Center for the Arts

Ar izona

Where there is a regular requirement to change

the size of the auditorium for theatre, concerts,

conferences and other events, it is possible to do

this mechanically. One practical solution, which

is useful in performing arts centres and university

buildings, allows the removed seating to be used

to create a separate breakout space, recital hall

or small theatre, and the Chandler Center is a

typical example. By rotating parts of the rear of

an auditorium to face another stage or platform,

acoustic separation can be achieved reliably and

eliminate the need for space for large sound-

proof partitions. This solution was pioneered by

Theatreplans Richard Brett in the late 1980s asa competition solution to the complex brief for the

Edinburgh International Conference Centre.

Architects: SPS+Architects(Schneider Shay Pian +Pittenger)


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Centre Culturel Du Mont-Jacob

Jonquire, Quebec, Canada

This is a smaller space, seating 396, which can

change its form from end-stage to partial or full

flat-floor entirely by mechanical means. Each row

of seats is an elevator and to change the format,

each is lifted in turn and the seats are rotated so as

to hang vertically underneath the floor. The elevator

then returns to either the floor or stage level

depending on the requirements of the production.

Architects: Bertrand Dallaire ArchitectsTheatre Engineering: Gala Systems

Major Mechanised Systems

Building for the Performing Arts 5 - Adaptable Auditoria

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