Holden creates first flat-pack theatre
Theatre designer Michael Holden is creating what is thought to be the first-ever flat-pack theatre, boasting a ‘speed of build and economic efficiency’ that could make it appealing to schools.
Constructed from laminated softwood timber, the theatres will accommodate between 700 and 900 people, and will include a stage, backstage and auditorium with upholstered seats ‘that will make them more comfortable than The Globe’, says Holden.
The theatres would be adaptable to individual sites and ‘marry with existing facilities’, so would not include bathrooms or plumbing.
Former chief executive of Shakespeare Globe Theatre, designer of The Rose Theatre Kingston and senior partner of Michael Holden Design Associates, Holden says that his experience with Elizabethan theatre inspired the idea.
Holden maintains that it is too early to estimate how much the theatres will cost to buy, but reveals that he has received ‘one or two tentative enquiries’ so far. The design should be complete by March.
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Wasn’t there a Portable Theatre built in Germany in the 60s? It used generators and sections of the auditorium were held together by some kind of floor base and a circular lighting grid.
How is this design progressing? What elements were considered in designing the project?