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The Marlowe Theatre’s Audience is Kindly Invited to Return to its Seats

The long interval is over: the bell has rung and as of the 7th of October, Canterbury’s Marlowe Theatre audience can return to their seats, albeit two years on and to a considerably transformed, rather more sumptuous auditorium . . .

This is the third incarnation of the Marlowe Theatre and the second on this particular site. The theatre is named after Canterbury-born playwright Christopher Marlowe, who amassed an impressive body of work in a very short life (he died at the age of 29) which subsequently influenced many of our greatest literary heroes, including Marlowe’s contemporary, William Shakespeare. It therefore only seems the natural order of things that just a year after the transformed Royal Shakespeare Theatre (RST) in Stratford-upon-Avon was completed, Marlowe’s only theatrical namesake has benefited from a similar treatment. It also seems wholly appropriate that award-winning theatre consultancy Charcoalblue – the innovative company responsible for theatre consultancy on the Royal Shakespeare Theatre – was chosen to work on the £25.6m development. Unsurprisingly, although the RST and the Marlowe are chalk and cheese architecturally – Bennetts Associates’ were the architects of the RST while Keith Williams Architects was responsible for the Marlowe – similar themes resonate through both auditoria. Like the RST, the Marlowe Theatre auditorium is a carefully considered and uncluttered response to its brief, with a strong sense of identity, intimacy and focus.

Each space draws on markedly different theatrical traditions; yet at the same time both theatres create their own fresh and dramatically modern environment.The transformation of the Marlowe has been an ambitious project; on occasions controversial and – due to the ups and downs of the economy – not always plain sailing. Originally built in 1933 and formerly a cinema, the old building was modified to reopen as a theatre in July 1984. Despite the fact that the converted cinema space did not lend itself easily to theatre production, the venue remained in continuous use until it closed in March 2009, and was hugely popular with the local community, some of whom did not want to see it change. However, to ensure the Marlowe’s continued survival and to satisfy the increasingly high demand for tickets, the theatre had to expand its capacity, as popular shows regularly sold out months in advance.The new theatre was made possible through a mix of public and private funding, with Canterbury City Council the leading funder contributing around £17 million. Kent County Council and SEEDA have also supported the project.In addition, a major fundraising campaign was set up by the New Marlowe Theatre Development Trust to raise £4.5 million towards the total cost of the project. The campaign attracted HRH The Earl of Wessex as its Royal Patron alongside a number of other high-profile names including Orlando Bloom, Joanna Lumley, Jools Holland, Timothy West and Prunella Scales.Owner and manager of the theatre, Canterbury City Council, was advised early on that an entirely new theatre would cost

more than redeveloping the Marlowe on its existing site (there being no suitable alternative site available). Therefore, in 2005 the council gave the go-ahead to a multi-million pound redevelopment of the area, with the working title of the New Marlowe Theatre Project.Today the main house accommodates a 1,200-strong audience, 26% more than its predecessor. As the project has developed, detailed consultation with the community has seen any remaining objections recede and the result is an exciting and

Canterbury Cathedral viewed from inside the new Marlowe Theatre.

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imaginative design, based on an insightful understanding of the town, its historical architecture and ultimately its people. The new theatre also features a brand new studio theatre that it’s hoped will breath new life into local arts and culture and bring fresh economic opportunities to the people of Canterbury. Most remarkably,

the whole expanded-capacity complex is built on the same small footprint as the original theatre.Charcoalblue took care of the design, planning and technical specification of the auditorium and backstage areas for both the main auditorium and the new multi-configurable Marlowe Studio.Working alongside Keith Williams of award-winning architecture practice Keith Williams Architects, the Charcoalblue project team, led by senior project manager Paul Crosbie, has contributed extensively to the design of the building, with particular emphasis on building-wide functional planning, auditorium planning and specialist theatre systems design, including the stage lighting, audiovisual, and stage engineering installations.Charcoalblue’s managing director Andy Hayles explains: “The project was somewhat unusual in that it involved the partial demolition and reconstruction of a building that has for years been at the heart of the cultural landscape in Canterbury and the surrounding area. There are 10,000-plus ‘Friends of The Marlowe’ and this loyal following has brought an added but not unwelcome degree of pressure to the design process.”“From the outset it was clear that whilst the original Marlowe Theatre was

much-loved by a substantial and well established audience base, it was limited in programming terms by capacity and infrastructure,” continues Charcoalblue’s project manager for the Marlowe project, Paul Crosbie. “In addition, what it could offer to touring productions was becoming increasingly outdated. Our primary objective has been the delivery of an economically-viable, 1,200 capacity auditorium with an updated infrastructure

Marlowe theatre director Mark Everett with architect Keith Williams.

The Marlowe Theatre auditorium now seats 1200.

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Main HouseStage lighting systemETC Sensor dimmers (three 96-way racks) comprising: 224 x 3kW dimmers, 22 x 5kW dimmers, 36 x 3kW non-dims, 6 x 5kW non-dimsPlus houselights and worklights, dimmers and contactorsETC Ion stage lighting control deskWired infrastructure comprising dimmer/non-dim outlets, DMX and Ethernet lighting data, technical power distribution.Followspot box for up to four followspots Selection of stage lighting luminaires including ETC Source Four profiles, Selecon profiles, Fresnels and cyclorama floods, James Thomas PARcans and Vedette followspots.

Audiovisual systemd&b audiotechnik PA powered by d&b D6 & D12 amplifiers, comprising:8 x Q7 full-range units on proscenium15 x E0 delay units under balconies6 x E0 front fill units (demountable)2 x Q-SUB sub-bass units2 x MAX12 portable monitor unitsWired infrastructure of mic & line level audio, comms, cuelights, audio Ethernet, video, loudspeakers, dedicated sound power distribution.Yamaha LS9-32 mixing console with outboard source and effects equipment GDS

Stage management deskRTS technical intercom systemAssisted listening systems – Ampetronics induction loop and Sennheiser infra-red systems and audio description console.Selection of microphones (Shure, Beyer, AKG)Cabling and general accessories.

Stage engineeringThree full-width orchestra pit elevators to create pit formats as follows:Small pit – Rows A & B (43 seats)Medium pit – Rows A, B, C & D (100 seats)Large pit – Rows A, B, C, D & E (130 seats)Two elevators may also be raised to stage level to create a forestage extension.48 counterweight bars over full available depth of stage @ 200mm pitch.Dumbwaiter counterweight cradle to transport counterweights from fly gallery to grid.Three winched bars beneath technical galleries.Motorised advance bar over forestage.Smoke curtain.

Studio SpaceStage lighting systemETC Sensor dimmers (one 96-way rack) comprising: 90 x 3kW dimmers 6 x 3kW non-dims Plus houselights and worklights dimmers and contactorsETC Smartfade 12/48 stagelighting control deskSelection of stage lighting luminaires including: ETC Source Four profiles, Selecon Fresnels and PCs and James Thomas PARcans and cyclorama floods.Integrated worklights control system.Wired infrastructure comprising dimmer/non-dim outlets, DMX and Ethernet lighting data, technical power distribution.

Audiovisual systemd&b audiotechnik PA powered by d&b D6 & D12 amplifiers, comprising:4 x Ci-series full-range units (retained from old theatre), 2 x Ci-SUB sub-bass unitsWired infrastructure of mic & line level audio, comms, cuelights, audio Ethernet, video, loudspeakers, dedicated sound power distribution.Yamaha LS9-16 mixing console with outboard source and effects equipmentGDS Stage management deskRTS technical intercom systemAssisted listening systems – Ampetronics induction loop and Sennheiser infra-red systems) and audio description console.Microphones, cabling and general accessories shared with main theatre.

that looks to the future by enabling the theatre to accommodate the anticipated programme of touring shows.” The increase in seat capacity has been accomplished by replacing the original single-level seating rake with a three-tiered auditorium comprising Stalls, Circle and Balcony. The upper tiers wrap around the auditorium side walls to engage with the proscenium and enhance the connection between audience and performers. Hayles continues: “The old auditorium had less than 1,000 seats with the furthest being 35m from stage. Some inspired design by Charcoalblue and Keith Williams Architects has not only the increased seat-count to 1,200, but has also brought the audience much closer to stage. The furthest seat is now 25m from stage and the majority are within 10m of the stage – an enormous improvement on the old auditorium.”At the front of the Stalls, a series of three elevators installed by CentreStage and equipped with removable seating wagons allow the creation of a number of orchestra pit formats, the largest of which can accommodate up to 80 musicians. “The sense of grandeur in this wonderful new auditorium is coupled with a feeling of intimacy,” says theatre director Mark Everett. “Everything’s so much closer to the stage than the old theatre could ever be. It’s a great sense of shared experience and that’s what live theatre is all about.”In addition to the Main House, the Marlowe Theatre is home to a brand new second venue: the Marlowe Studio. Perched high on the side of the building, with a foyer that provides a spectacular view of the nearby Canterbury Cathedral, the Studio will host a varied performance programme in addition to hosting a number of community-focused activities. The Studio can accommodate 300 people in flat-floor mode or up to 150 people when seated on the retractable seating system. The seating system can be partially or fully deployed to provide variation in the seating capacity and the performers’ playing area.The new Marlowe Theatre is a triumphant celebration of the long history of support for live theatre in Canterbury and a testament to the determination of the individuals and companies that delivered it so quickly. It hits the ground running – opening on time and on budget – with a weekend of one-off launch events followed by the technically-complex Cirque Éloize’s show iD – a blend of circus arts and explosive urban dance. This is a production that could never have been performed in the old building.It’s expected that the Marlowe Theatre will provide a significant boost to the development of the arts and tourism sectors within East Kent, encouraging creativity and innovation and providing new opportunities for young people to develop a wider range of skills in the creative arts and beyond. It will also generate business for the city’s many restaurants, hotels and shops, providing an estimated 300 jobs and contributing around £23 million each year to the local economy.

Orchestra pit elevators.