< Previous10 Sightline Spring 2024 It was a great pleasure to write a preview of the Bristol Beacon just before its formal opening at the end of November last year, although it was inevitably incomplete since there was no opportunity to hear performances in the halls or to see much of the technical equipment which was still under dust sheets. The opportunity to attend the first concert in the Beacon Hall’s 2023/24 Orchestral Season on 19th December was not to be missed. The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, a regular visitor to The Beacon’s predecessor, the Colston Hall, for more than 60 years, now holds the title of Orchestra in Residence, so it was fitting that it should give the first concert under its Chief Conductor, Kirill Karabits. The programme comprised four works – the world premiere of Mark-Anthony Turnage’s Beacons – Fanfares for Orchestra, Shostakovich’s Festival Overture, Beethoven’s Piano Emperor Concerto (soloist Sunwook Kim) and Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. This programme was clearly chosen to show off the hall to full advantage and it did so gloriously. The first two works gave an immediate impression of the brightness and clarity of the sound while the piano concerto gave ample opportunity to study the balance between the soloist and the orchestra – the Times critic noted: “the wonderful effect of the piano and timpani dying away in the finale before the jubilant conclusion”. But it was the Stravinsky Bristol Beacon in Performance Richard York that really put the hall to the test, and it was not only the acoustic that came into focus. The hundred or so players and a good deal of hardware looked more than comfortable on the platform, with the carefully shaped risers enabling an immediate sense of ensemble. From the single oboe to the full orchestra the sound remained clear and, as the layers of music built up, the woodwinds more than held their own against the brass and percussion behind and the strings in front. Even at peak volume the hall seemed ready to take on more. It is unsurprising that the hall should respond so well to so vigorous a “stress test”. Axel Burrough and Mark Lewis who led the architectural team from Levitt Bernstein from the start of the project, point out in an essay on the design of the hall that “the dimensions of the enclosing walls (are) uncannily similar to two of the most revered late 19th Century shoebox halls – Vienna’s Musicverein and Boston Symphony Hall”. The Bristol shoebox was stripped to its bare walls which were stiffened and repaired and then clad with a mixture of plain and relief brickwork, plaster and a variety of timber panelling. The single balcony, installed in the 1951 rebuild, is now replaced by two tiers on the back wall, the upper much deeper than the lower, and both extended by two rows of seats along the side walls. The tier fronts comprise convex, angled timber shields the design of which is Photo: Tim CrockerSightline Spring 2024 11 repeated on the canopy above the platform. Each of these elements contributes to the quality of the unamplified musical experience while the acoustic effect of the walls and the platform canopy may be modified by acoustic banners, drapes and bass absorbers for the many occasions when a less lively acoustic is required for amplified music or speech. Another variable which is likely to be well exercised is the facility to change the platform/auditorium and performer/audience relationships in the stalls. The standard configuration comprises the smaller platform and fully seated stalls comprising 852 seats. To accommodate, say, a full symphony orchestra, raising the two forestage lifts extends the platform by 4 metres with a loss of 118 seats. If that concert is followed by a touring rock concert, the forestage lifts are used to clear the front and middle stalls seats to storage on the floor below, before completing the stalls floor and leaving the smaller platform. This gives a standing capacity of 1,100 (which includes access to 206 fixed seats in 7 rows at the back), a gain of 248 audience members over the standard configuration. The seats are mounted on fifteen seating wagons and fifty beam mounted seat units, which may be cleared in three hours. This arrangement was specified by Charcoalblue and takes advantage of the original cellars below the stalls floor. Other contributions to achieving an excellent experience at all events include the sense of connection between the different parts of the audience and indeed between audience and performers – the opening concert really did feel like a community occasion, aided by an unusual degree of informality for such an iconic event and by the unequivocal enthusiasm of the audience. The lighting of hall and platform, the colours and textures of the building and its furnishings, the quality of joinery and bricklaying, the sense of spaciousness and airiness all help to ensure that the visual, aural and physical experiences are integrated and finely balanced, a representation of the teamwork between client, architect, acoustician, technicians, engineers and everyone else, including the artist who designed the fabric for the seats. The Beacon provides a timely example of Iain Mackintosh’s plea in his recent book (Theatre Spaces 1920- 2020, reviewed in Sightline Winter 2023) for “Finding the Fun in Functionalism”. The emphasis has been on ensuring that the venues in the Bristol Beacon are capable of presenting the most varied programme, with short turnround between events, minimal need for promoters to bring in equipment and efficient use of staff time, while giving all users of the building the best possible experience. It is much to Bristol City Council’s credit that, Photo: Tim Crocker12 Sightline Spring 2024 despite financial constraints, the building has been equipped to such high standards. Anyone who aspires to build a new concert hall or refurbish an old one is unlikely to find a better example of how such a project might be planned and executed. The following summary of the technical installations has been provided by Charcoalblue: Beacon Hall Overhead Rigging One of the pleasures of Beacon Hall, unseen by the public, is the rigging deck above the canopy over the platform. This large and airy space services provision for suspending 40 tonnes of capacity for in house and touring productions provided by: 6 No. dedicated in house lighting and production trusses with 2000kg of capacity for lighting and production equipment. 3No. up/ down stage rigging beams. 45 No. individual strong points with capacity of 1250kg .It also enables variable acoustic systems (see below) and provides access to three bridges across the auditorium. Stage Systems 2 No. large format Stage Elevators, driven by 6 No. Gala Spirlalifts, designed to extend the stage for orchestral configurations and to transport seating wagons to the floor below the auditorium when a standing configuration is required for the audience. 15 No. variable height stage rostra within the permanent stage. These bespoke scissor lift platforms are used for orchestra risers enabling movement between flat floor and 1500mm above the stage.12 No. variable height stage rostra within the auditorium to be used as FOH mix positions or as tiered seating risers. Variable Acoustic systems Bespoke pivoting acoustic reflector to enable the PA to be stored out of sight above the acoustic canopy for orchestral configurations: 12 No. Gerriets G-sorber acoustic banners. 8 No. Gerriets aQflex inflatable bass absorbers. Circa 175sqm of motorised acoustic drapes. Variable Seating Systems Charcoablue were tasked to design a flexible seating system that enabled a swift transformation between a fully seated stalls and a substantial area to enable the audience to stand between the raised seating rows at the rear and the platform The front stalls seating area can be transformed from 680 fully seated into an 1,100 capacity standing area in less than 3 hours with the use of: 1 No. seating wagons, provided by Centre Stage Engineering. 50 No. beam mounted wheeled seating units, provided by Ascender and Hussey Seatway. Sound Reinforcement System Main PA: 20 No. L-Acoustics KARA II. 8 No. L-Acoustics KS21 Subwoofers. L-Acoustics point source loudspeakers supplement the main system, including 6 No. X8 as front fills and 2 No. of Syva as left and right stage fills. Consoles, Racks and Network: 1 No. Allen & Heath S57000 w/ waves card. 1 No. Allen & Heath SQ5.1 No. Allen & Heath C3500 (Monitor console). Production trusses in between fixed acoustic canopies Photo: Joe MapsonSightline Spring 2024 13 Stage Lighting Infrastructure 156 No. Dimmer/Relay circuits from ETC Sensor Racks. 74 No. Data points and 89 No. DMX points linked back to one central rack room enabling full flexibility and operable control from anywhere in the space. 7 No. ETC F-Drives have been used to provide 66 No. house lighting outputs and 24 No. EML outputs housed in an acoustically isolated rack. Fixtures: 14 No. Ayrton Diablos. 10 No. Ayrton Eurus TC. 28 No. Robe Spiider.16 No. Charvet Colorado Batten Q15. 4 No. ETC Source Four LED series 2 – 15-30°. 10 No. ETC Source Four LED series 2 – 10°. 4 No. Chauvet Strike Array 4 LED Blinders. 4 No. Chauvet Strike Array LED Blinders. 3 No. Robert Juliet Authur 800W LED follow spots. Consoles: 1No. Chamsys Magic Q500M with Stadium wing.1No. Chamsys Magic MQ70 Orchestral lighting: ETC four cells, mounted within Custom made orchestra shell producing an average of 800lux at stage level. Projection: 1 No. Christie Digital DWU-110- GS (10k HD projector). 1 No. 6.5m (width) 16:9 projection screen. Lantern Hall Variable Stage and Seating System 12 No. variable height staging units, including a piano lift enabling a grand piano to be lifted to the 1m stage height. 3 No. motorised truss production grids, each with 1500kg of capacity for lighting and sound equipment. 12 No. Acoustic drapes incorporating artist designed bespoke fabric. Sound Reinforcement System Main PA: 8 No. L-Acoustics A15i Wide. 8 No. x L-Acoustics KS21. 6 No. x L-Acoustics X8 Consoles: 1 No. Allen & Heath S500 w/ waves Card. 1 No. Allen & Heath C3500 (monitor console) Racks and networking:1 No. DM48 (48in, 24out). 2 No. 32way Analogue Splits. Allen & Heath DMO connected to Console via GigaACE. Stage Lighting Infrastructure 72 No. ETC Thru power circuits and 40 No. data points distributed throughout the space. Consoles: 1 No. Chamsys Magic MQ70 Fixtures: 12 No. Ayrton Diablo S. 12 No. Robe 150 Beam. 12 No. Elation Fuze Par. 6 No. ETC ColourSource spots. 4 No. Chauvet Strike Array 2. Projection: 1 No. Christie Digital DWU 630- GS (6K HD projector). Building Wide Bristol Beacon has a comprehensive building-wide infrastructure with audiovisual facility panels installed in strategic locations throughout the auditoriums and stage areas. Each facility panel features industry standard audiovisual connections for analogue audio, ethernet, HD video and fibre optic cabling. Luminex GigaCore network switches distribute audiovisual signal throughout each of the venues via dedicated infrastructure. Dante Domain Manager is also deployed to segregate the audio networks between each venue to simplify network management for the end users. A Symetrix paging system facilitates the delivery of paging announcements to front of house and backstage areas. Photo: Tim Crocker14 Sightline Spring 2024 Project Team ClientsBristol City Council AcousticsSound Space Vision StructureArup Structures MEPArup MEP Theatre ConsultantsCharcoalblue Project ManagerArcadis Cost ConsultantAecom Main ContractorWilmott Dixon Stage Engineering contractor Centre Stage Engineering Stage Lighting and AV contractor LSI projects Seating systemsHussey Seatway and Ascender The author is grateful to the following people for their help in writing about the Bristol Beacon: Louise Mitchell CBE (Chief Executive) Sarah Robertson (Director of Communication), Joe Allotey (Facilities Manager) Catherine Frankpitt (Director, Strike Communications PR). Levitt Bernstein: Mark Lewis (Associate Director). Sound Space Vision (Acoustics): Bob Essert. Charcoalblue (Theatre Consultants): Joe Mapson (Senior Consultant – Stage Engineering Designer and Team Leader). The author apologises for any errors or omissions which are entirely his own. Right: Hall 1 Elevators Photo: Joe Mapson Far right: Solid Rigging deck floor with slots for overstage rigging Photo: Joe Mapson 16 Sightline Spring 2024 Theatre Buildings A Design Guide Edited by Margaret Shewring Drawings editor David Hamer Routledge ISBN 9781032355290 Hardback: £38.99 (ABTT Shop only) James Williams The new edition of Theatre Buildings brings up to date our understanding of the range and complexity of theatres. Not only does it take the reader through the maze of these wonderful buildings, but it does so with clarity and a straightforward narrative style. Information oozes out of every paragraph, even teaching this world-weary traveller a thing or two! When building Hampstead Theatre I was told that, “theatres are second only to hospitals in their complexity,” confirmed by the scope and detail provided in the book. If it has shortcomings, they are minor as the narrative gives a clear map of what to consider in the journey of developing a theatre. With the Lottery funded era behind us, we now need to be more pragmatic and, I would suggest, attune to better design in our theatres. The need for detailed research when planning both the building and operation of a theatre is made abundantly clear in the early chapters, providing a rock- solid foundation for any development. The importance of consultation and collaboration, echoed in Nica Burns’ forward, must not be undervalued; it should be constant and never stop. Reviews by: Louis Janssen Tim Ronalds James Williams Theatre Buildings A Design Guide The book methodically sets out how we can unlock the connection with our audiences through the power of great design, keeping, to quote Iain Mackintosh, “that fundamental quality of theatrical intimacy”. The reader is first led through the core principles to be considered, followed by the forms of building. This leaves no doubt about the complexity of choices, whilst with a measured calm, giving confidence so that when reviewing the 32 completed projects in the second half, the reader can use the accumulating knowledge in their unique creation, knowing it will be fit for purpose. The generosity in each author’s section is immense and rooted in passion. I particularly found Section 3 – Social Principles to be an essential clarion call for wider thinking, although the prospect of another pandemic and what we should perhaps consider in design is terrifying, both in practical and business terms. It kickstarts the quest for greater space in our buildings, both front and back of house, and I wonder how this can be achieved without a move away from “value for money” to one of social responsibility, which must be supported by appropriate resources. The exploration of found spaces and multiuse venues is welcome and, I suspect, an excellent starting point in the discussion about how to animate our city and town centres, in a move away from new build to repurposing and renovation. The examples of Chester’s Storyhouse and Riverside Studios are inspirational in the fusion of community and varying creative functions within a single building. The two sections edited by Jullian Middleton are impressive in that they clearly explore the differing needs of performance spaces within our more complex societal settings. The contributors have shared a wealth of knowledge to help deliver excellence and inclusion to audiences, setting a very high bar. Importantly, the Climate Emergency and Sustainability is given prominence early on, and thereafter woven into most sections. It is only by such a holistic approach that our industry will be seen as a leader of change. I hankered for more, but perhaps wrongly, as greater detail is in the “Green Book(s)”. However, I was rewarded by the three “backstage” sections that clearly embrace the objectives and thus show unison of purpose. We have an exciting future, seen in the combination of climate and business objectives, both working together to rescue our planet whilst giving operational stability. Sightline Spring 2024 17 Who would have thought that the dark art of acoustics would be aiding thermal control in our buildings! This is a definitive book. It informs choices for the future, reflects on the success of the past, and sets out a range of tools whilst being clear in our needs. It will be essential to those studying, working or dreaming of theatre and the creation of the multi-faceted spaces that serve performance. My only concern is that since its writing, aspects of building operation, technology and behaviour have already changed; it won’t be long before the ABTT have to assemble another talented team for the next definitive edition. James Williams is the Chief Executive of the Shaftesbury Theatre responsible for the development of its award winning Flytower and the current £15m Dramatic Transformation refurbishment programme. Formerly, as Executive Director of Hampstead Theatre, he was instrumental in the design and building of its new Theatre. Prior to this, he was Executive Director of Cambridge Theatre Company/Method & Madness. His early career was in Stage and Production Management. James is an active member of the Society of London Theatre and has served as a Council member of the TMA, now UK Theatre. He was a director of Inmidtown, the Business Improvement District for Holborn, and a member of the Camden Business Board. He is the founder of Vocaleyes and also chaired the creation of the Audio Description Association for the RNIB. Louis Janssen The 392-page book comes in A4 size format and has a hard cover. On the front cover a nice photograph of the auditorium of Soho Place and on the back cover two photographs, looking down through the grid and looking into a refurbished manual fly gallery. Opening the book feels a bit awkward, it takes 51(!) pages before the actual content can be found. Some information, like explaining this new edition, bibliography, the table of contents, two forewords, preface and acknowledgements feel to be in the correct place. However, the list of contributors, list of illustrations, abbreviations/acronyms and glossary of theatre terminology would, to my taste, be better placed at the end of the book. This would have revealed the real content much earlier. The list of abbreviations/acronyms and the glossary of theatre terminology are very helpful, especially for international, non- native English speakers, like me. The book takes you through the whole process of designing and building a theatre in 11 chapters. It starts with explaining design principles, developing the brief and social principles. After that, it takes you through the different parts of a theatre building and the various disciplines of stage technology like stage machinery, lighting, sound and video. One chapter is dedicated to the restoration and conversion of existing buildings. The last chapter, ‘Moving forwards: a call to action’, is a pledge to give several social issues and values much more attention in the process of developing a theatre. It speaks, amongst others, about sustainability, inclusivity, accessibility, and engagement with communities. Through the COVID-19 pandemic, we learned that other ways of theatre making, like digital theatre, made theatre more accessible for a larger group of people. For me, this chapter was written from the heart. In the second part of the book, 32 reference projects, in 6 different categories, are described with photographs, drawings, project data and users’ verdicts. The projects are interesting and a good addition to the information from the first part. The book is very pleasant to read and covers a very comprehensive list of aspects which one has to deal with when working on a theatre project. Reading the book, it happened to me very often, that I thought ‘why are they not covering this?’, to discover that in the next paragraph they exactly did that. So, for me, the information is complete, at the right place and spot on. One thing I miss in this book, this might be my misinterpretation of ‘Theatre buildings’. I miss buildings for some disciplines of live performance, like concert halls and pop venues. A lot of information goes also for these venues. I understand that it might be too much for this book to cover these art-forms, but I pledge for special editions for these building types. I congratulate ABTT, all the editors and contributors with this excellent book, it was a very educational and pleasant read which I can recommend to everyone interested. Louis Janssen, retired theatre consultant at Theateradvies bv, the Netherlands18 Sightline Spring 2024Sightline Spring 2024 19 Tim Ronalds I am grateful to Tim Foster for the invitation to write this review. It led me to read the Guide from start to finish – I would otherwise only have dipped in and out and missed much of the content. I finished heartened and impressed. One key to the Guide’s success is that it is a collaborative work – its 250 pages distil the combined knowledge of 60 leading theatre design practitioners, expertly stitched together by Margaret Shewring. Its range is encyclopaedic: from the fundamental purpose of theatre, to aspirational social principles, theatre forms and techniques, to essential information on the dimensions of seats, and heights of balustrades. Throughout, it is succinct and authoritative. The imagined readers range from people dreaming of building a new theatre, to a young architect working on the sectional design of their first auditorium, and all the other theatre design specialisms in between. Section One talks about the role of a theatre in a town or city, and of theatres becoming all day places combining many public activities. This is so important for the future. Section Two, ‘Developing the Brief’, compiled by John Riddell, was perhaps the most challenging but potentially the most valuable. This describes the process that a theatre client might have to go through, from a first vision of a theatre project to finally sitting down to work with an architect and a project team to realise the dream. I suspect that the success of all the 32 reference projects illustrated in the second half of the Guide was secured when that crucial stage was reached. Before then it is a process beset by uncertainties and pitfalls. Questioning aims, testing feasibility, trying to establish what is required, finding sites or buildings, the siren voices of construction procurement options or the sweet shop of architect selection processes. I wonder how many projects go off the rails during this stage. We were lucky in our first new theatre commission. North Devon District Council fortunately appointed as their client advisor Roderick Ham, the author of the precursor of this Guide Theatres – Planning Guidance for Design and Adaptation published in 1972 – and he chose us. The architectural profession has much to offer in the vital early stages of all projects and needs to be involved more. Section Three, ‘On Social Principles’, was a surprise – it’s not often you read about ethical or moral principles in design. It opens with Steve Tomkins’ spirited call for regenerative architecture, civility, adaptability, and generosity. Challenging architects – to go beyond “less- bad-business-as-usual.” His fellow contributors deal with these social and safety aspects more specifically. I implicitly trust the more technical sections which follow – on seating and sightlines, sensory and practical imperatives, how to construct a sprung floor or position a luminaire – and this fundamental information is invaluable. The 32 Reference Projects make up nearly half the book. All were built within the last twelve years. It is an inspiring array of a wide range of types of theatres. Ingenious, exciting and unconventional, many have memorable, characterful forms and strong material qualities. Most seem lean and purposeful, clever. Too few of them have I visited yet. The changing and distinctive shapes of theatres is revealed in the fascinating sequence of plans. The precision of these drawings; plans, the site plans that put them into context and the essential cross-sections, convey so much more than words. David Hamer’s contribution in producing these drawings, so rigorously consistent in format, scale and graphic style, is of immense value and an important resource for all theatre design practitioners. Theatres are the most three dimensional of buildings. You see it so clearly in their plans and sections with the auditoria nestled in the more or less sprawling ancillary spaces – that intense nugget in which, by three-dimensional magic, the audience is condensed and focussed on a performance. A theatre building as a whole is a complex functional arrangement, but it is the three-dimensional spatial design of the auditorium that is the core of it. We learned something of the art from working on Matcham theatres and see his skill proven in the atmosphere of every performance at Hackney Empire we return to see, Making theatres that respond to the new social, climatic, technological and economic imperatives is a challenge. Comparing the projects in this edition with those of previous editions you see a marked difference. The designs seem more responsive to their relevant purpose, users, contexts. Proof that much theatre design is going in a good direction. Tim Ronalds has been involved in theatre design for over 40 years. “I learned the trade from Bill Howell, Frank Matcham, Peter Angier and many other great practitioners. My first solo theatre was the Landmark in Ilfracombe in 1998, the latest is the Bradford Odeon which is nearly complete.” Illustration on opposite page: The Lyric Theatre, Belfast: an example of the drawings illustrating each of the 32 reference projects, all edited by David Hamer to a common scaleNext >