The Boulevard theatre features stalls and a balcony that both revolve independently, along with a stage that moves up and down, making a wide variety of different configurations possible.
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
Boulevard theatre in London by Soda features a revolving auditorium
The Boulevard theatre features stalls and a balcony that both revolve independently, along with a stage that moves up and down, making a wide variety of different configurations possible.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
This is absolutely amazing!!! It stresses me out that I can’t find any videos of the auditorium actually transforming, because I really want to know how it is possible, which is hard to imagine just in our heads. The revolving auditorium reminded me of IHI Stage Around Tokyo. It is a theatre with 360-degrees rotating audience seats surrounded by movable huge screens and stages, opened in 2017. I went to see a show last year, and it was a terrific experience to transport through different scenes as we rotate, but without realizing it. On the other hand, I have seen articles discussing which theatre company did better in utilizing the unique theatre, especially after the production, licensed by Music Theatre International performed West Side Story on the stage. What I see from the discussions is that while new technology and a new form of theatre opens up possibilities for artists and creators, it challenges them to come up with innovative ideas. In short, I am interested in what kind of creative ideas will arts companies will come up with to make the best use of Boulevard theatre.
Just the thought of seeing this auditorium in action is fascinating. As Natsumi said, it's incredibly frustrating not being able to find a video of the space moving into different configurations. The article describes the way the seats and stage can move to create different spaces, but I would love to know exactly what kind of configurations the space can be put in. It's interesting how the efficiency in how the auditorium is reconfigured is described. I'm wondering if they really have had one show and ten minutes later have the audience re-enter to see a second show in a completely different room. I think the photos taken of the auditorium as well as the bar and restaurant are absolutely beautiful. It seems like such a lively, inviting place that welcomes people in the community to enjoy all kinds of performing arts.
Oh my gosh——this is one of THE coolest theatre spaces I’ve ever seen. I definitely agree with Natsumi & Vanessa: there needs to be a video of this space in action somewhere on the internet! I wasn’t able to find one, and was disappointed because although the description of the space is detailed, this is such a new idea to me that it’s hard to picture in motion. This space, the concept of an automated theatre space that can drastically alter, reminds me of the Modular Theatre at CalArts. That space has complete control over the structure of the stage itself, but what I find compelling about the Boulevard theatre is the ability to change the composition of the audience seating, which has the power to create such a unique audience experience. Theatre is made for the audience, and with a new and creative way to experience it for themselves, I feel like the Boulevard can now have a more dynamic impact on London audiences. Also, the design motif of the “B” shape in the lace and edges of the bar is a sneaky and clever design choice to bring together all the spaces.
What a wonderful and radical new type of theatre space. This is a very interesting concept for a theatre, really unlike anything I have ever seen or imagined before. There are so many arrangements and layouts of theatre spaces, but this one is so very different than any other theatre I have ever seen or heard of before. There are plenty of convertible theatre spaces, in which seats can be move around, oriented differently, even removed entirely. The Chosky and the Rauh are both good examples of this – seats can be rearranged, the type of stage can be changed, et cetera – but this new theatre in London is a completely new take on the idea of a convertible theatre space. The design in itself is also brilliant. First of all, the decision for the space to be built in a circle is brilliant, because rotating the entire room to change the space is much more convenient than having to move everything around by hand. However, if the seats are going to be moved around or removed entirely, they were designed to be stackable for easy movement and storage, unlike, say, the seats we have in the Chosky. Overall, this is a marvelous concept for a theatre space and I would love to see it and the mechanics behind it in person.
Post a Comment