22 C O N T E X T 1 2 8 : M A R C H 2 0 1 3 eritage of isure The heritage he heritage of leisure ge of leisure The heritage e heritage of leisure The he of leisure The heritage of heritage of leisure regulations of their day and reflected the class structure of the period. Each social class had its own tier, and needed its own entrances and staircases.Theatres continued to be constructed in this way until the beginning of 1930s. There are few public buildings whose full nature is so effectively obscured from view. While the audience is catered for in auditoria, bars and foyers, nearly as much space is often dedicated to the workings of the theatre – its stage and scene storage, dressing rooms, understage, flytower, offices and plant. This inevitably results in conservation issues about how to preserve what is significant while allowing the building to function. Complex engineering and floorplate construction need constant repair and maintenance, and adapting access to the divided Edwardian balconies for audiences today means careful planning. The conservation of theatre buildings is not just about simple repair and restoration, but equally about ensuring that the building is fit for purpose so that it can remain in theatre use. Outside Londonmany theatres are hubs of cultural and artistic activity. As well as putting on shows they provide space for creative development programmes, including special education projects aimed at communities, local festivals, programmes for young people. They cater for an ever-growing ethnic diversity of theatre audiences. A good example of this business model is Cardiff’s Chapter Arts Centre in a converted former (Grade II) Victorian school which has a cinema, exhibition spaces, studios, a café, bars, cultural and teaching workspaces, a crèche and a studio theatre. Part of my role at theTheatresTrust is to advise on how to integrate additional accommodation within historic theatres and other historic building types that have been converted for theatre use such as schools, churches and warehouses. Being able to draw onmy knowledge of other building types has contributed to this. However, before joining the trust I had not really appreciated the extent of the community benefit that these theatres and arts facilities provide, and how far they contribute to health and cultural wellbeing. The good news is that most of the UK’s remaining Victorian and Edwardian theatre stock is statutorily (Right) Chapter Arts Centre (Left) Lettering at the Maltings, Berwick-upon-Tweed Her Majesty’s Theatre, Haymarket, by C J Phipps, 1897: a reconstruction based on drawings in the GLC collection and contemporary publications
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjgyMjA=