“In general, those (historic) elements are under threat for most theatres, because it’s normally about upgrading bars or the auditorium and raising and changing seats…” Mark Price, Heritage Adviser at Theatres Trust, said when talking about how to balance the relationship between protecting theatre heritage and introducing modern facilities.
“It’s hard to balance…But we normally take advice from the England Council communities. And they will tell us which bits we should be protecting,” he said.
Mark Price is a heritage consultant working in the planning, heritage and conservation sector. As an acknowledged expert in theatre and cinema buildings, he has over 25 years planning, architectural, urban design, conservation and regeneration experience.
(Credit: Mark Price Theatre and Heritage)
Sunderland Empire seems to have achieved this balance during its restoration. Since reopening in 1960, the theatre has undergone several renovations, with the latest in 2017. The theatre preserves its original Edwardian interior, revealing marble walls and original paintings previously hidden under layers of wallpaper.
(Credit: City of Sunderland)
(Credit: Yang Zhang)
Sarah Marsden, Creative Learning Officer at Sunderland Empire, said that as a Grade II listed building, the theatre preserved the history of the building during the restoration so that people can see what it was like when it was originally built.
However, not all old theatres will retain historical elements. When the theatre itself is “an old building that has no architectural features at all”, Mark Prices said they “might look to do something quite radical about that to get a building that works properly.”
For example, during the renovation of the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury, a new theatre replaced the existing one. The building was demolished save for the steel structure of the fly tower. “It was interesting but totally changed to make that work better for them,” Mark Prices added.
Sustainability: Key to developing old theatres in the future
In the future, Mark Price believes that as these historic theatres get older, the key to developing them is how to reuse them. Finding new ways of facilitating solar panels or other sustainable resources can make them work better.
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Theatres Trust has now made sustainability one of its priorities for the coming years. The organization is aimed at increasing sustainability in the theatre industry through its Environmental Principles and the Theatre Green Book initiative.
The Full Video can be seen on the YouTube Theaters Trust.
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