Key theatre design trends: Renovating existing theatres

One of the more established trends in theatre design is reimagining and revitalising existing theatrical buildings, bringing them up to contemporary technical and comfort standards and adding flexibility for their artists.

“I think we’ll soon see a lot more instances of re-using existing theatre stock, not just refurbishing them but dynamically adapting them to meet what artists now require,” says Andy. “I was at a conference recently, and a couple of theatre directors said: ‘Why are we building new theatres? We just don’t need them, we’d rather be putting on plays in warehouses now.’ The demand for renovation and adaptive use projects is growing, particularly as it’s a cheaper and more environmentally sustainable way of doing things."

“One big issue is how to get more intensive use out of the auditorium. Aside from shows and the odd rehearsal, they’re wasted spaces for so much of the daytime. The National in London was quick to spot this, and we helped them adapt the auditorium of their Dorfman Theatre – creating a system where you can fold seats into the floor and elevate the rows on elevators – to create a more flexible space that can host educational classes and workshops in the daytime on a flat floor, as well as host shows at night with raked seats."

“Theatres have lots of new competition. If they don’t update their facilities, which can be more than a hundred years old, they may lose.”

Read the full interview with Andy on CLADGlobal.