{"id":174,"date":"2024-08-13T07:25:40","date_gmt":"2024-08-13T06:25:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/yang-zhang\/?p=174"},"modified":"2024-08-18T22:46:24","modified_gmt":"2024-08-18T21:46:24","slug":"the-rebirth-of-old-theatres-how-to-balance-historical-elements-with-modern-facilities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/yang-zhang\/2024\/08\/13\/the-rebirth-of-old-theatres-how-to-balance-historical-elements-with-modern-facilities\/","title":{"rendered":"The rebirth of old theatres: how to balance historical elements with modern facilities?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

“In general, those (historic) elements are under threat for most theatres<\/strong>, because it’s normally about upgrading bars or the auditorium and raising and changing seats…” Mark Price, Heritage Adviser at Theatres Trust<\/a>, said when talking about how to balance the relationship between protecting theatre heritage and introducing modern facilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It\u2019s hard to balance<\/strong>…But we normally take advice from the England Council communities. And they will tell us which bits we should be protecting,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark Price<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Mark Price
(Credit: Mark Price Theatre and Heritage)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Sunderland Empire<\/a><\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Timeline of Sunderland Empire’s Refurbishment (Credit: Yang Zhang)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The original Sunderland Empire
(Credit: City of Sunderland)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The present Sunderland Empire
(Credit: Yang Zhang)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sarah Marsden<\/strong>, 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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