TORONTO – An underutilized 1,800-seat Broadway-style touring hall underwent an ambitious renovation that resulted in two new venues. The 580-seat Lyric Theatre occupies the seating area of the former auditorium. Twelve rows were removed to accommodate the stage and the rake of the orchestra and balcony seating. Backlit acoustic panels–each programmable with color-changing LED fixtures–wrap the room, defining the proscenium opening and intensifying the theatricality of the space. Theater Consultants Collaborative out of Chapel Hill, N.C. was involved with the project.
More details from Theater Consultants (www.theatrecc.com):
The 300-seat Greenwin Theatre, a versatile performance space for small-scale productions, was built on the former stage and backstage areas. Designed to double as a video studio, the theatre’s seating system retracts to provide an open floor space. The original fly tower remains visible with performance lighting highlighting its volume and scale.
TCC collaborated with Diamond Schmitt Architects, providing theatre equipment design and specification, i.e. performance lighting, rigging and drapery systems
Photo Credit: Tom Arban Photographytha
