While creating a theatre, either from an existing structure or from scratch, is an exceptionally complex task, I was fascinated by English theatre consultant Iain Mackintosh’s succinct summation of the key issues that should be addressed, as recorded by Michael Billington in The Guardian:
He [Mackintosh] came up with three fascinating principles for a good theatre space. One: a quality of verticality that gives the human figure the right proportion (he cites the proscenium-arch Royal Court as a fine example). Two: auditorium side walls that have a reflective surface. Three: the perfect volume. This last is the key. “Volume,” says Mackintosh, “is the height, width and depth of the auditorium divided by the number of people in the hall.” He comes up with some revealing figures. The Olivier Theatre has more volume for 1,000 spectators than Drury Lane has for 2,000, which is perhaps why it is a notoriously tricky space. He also points out that the open-stage theatre in Stratford, Ontario, which seats 1,800, has a smaller volume than the new Courtyard in Stratford, England, which seats just over 1,000. As Mackintosh observes: “If you have too much volume, the actor, director and designer all have to paint with a broader brush.”
For anyone thinking about creating a theatre, this isn’t a bad place to start.
Posted on Thursday, September 6th, 2007 at 5:31 pm
by
Howard Sherman
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