Theatre Royal Restoration | Project Completed | Thread now used for 'ongoing' Theatre Royal Discussions - Page 16

delicolor · April 24th, 2012, 08:24 PM

Here is a quick scan of their publicity puff piece, a bit too shiny for my scanner.

***Newcastle Historian*** · April 24th, 2012, 11:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by delicolor

Here is a quick scan of their publicity puff piece, a bit too shiny for my scanner.

Removed a bit of the 'shine' !

delicolor · May 31st, 2012, 08:47 PM

"One of theatre design consultancy Charcoalblue’s biggest projects of 2011 has won a prestigious Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Award.
The hugely successful Newcastle Theatre Royal restoration project was honoured with both ‘Project of the Year’ and ‘Building Conservation’ Award.
The award showcases outstanding work in the conservation of a single building or a group of buildings or structures and covers renovation or conservation to a new or original use.
Newcastle’s Theatre Royal reopened its doors to the public on Monday 12th September 2011 following an extensive £5 million restoration project that had drawn on the theatrical expertise of renowned, multi-award winning UK theatre consultants, Charcoalblue.
Managing director of the company Andy Hayles explains: “The scope of the restoration for this Grade I listed theatre was particularly ambitious, and included complete internal redecoration, new seating, new and refurbished pit lifts, new lighting positions and extensive rewiring. Charcoalblue was responsible for the design of all the technical systems and their integration within the historic fabric of the building, as well as advising on sightlines and seating layouts.”
The RICS Conservation Award judges reviewed a number of criteria in choosing which project to honour, including how much of the original material remains in the building, and what methods have been adopted to re-use original material; the major conservation achievements; the important architectural features of the property and how have they been conserved; and how users and the local community received it".

More- Theatres Trust:http://www.theatrestrust.org.uk/news...ous-rics-award

ET Now: http://www.etnow.com/news/2012/5/cha...ous-rics-award

***Newcastle Historian*** · June 19th, 2012, 06:54 PM

Premiere of "Bohemian Rhapsody" at the Theatre Royal . . .

Evening Chronicle, Tuesday 19th June 2012

.

delicolor · June 21st, 2012, 09:41 PM

Well, after all that anticipation, I have to confess to being a tiny bit disappointed by the restoration after my visit to see a show a couple of weeks ago. The foyers felt a lot more claustrophobic on the three upper levels with the red rather than the cream walls and the box front plasterwork felt just too plain and simplistic compared to previous incarnations and similar decorative areas in other venues. It was if it had been "painted out" then the gold leaf very sparsely applied.

Conversely, the frieze above the proscenium feels as though it has too much gold as the background to the figures and I had hoped for it to have mellowed under the decorative lighting (but it hadn't, it looked pretty much the same as Rory's shots).

The re-tweaked spatial relationships of the various tiers are spot-on though and the seats look wonderful (although they get uncomfortable after an hour, the base cushion is not quite thick enough for my generous proportions. The identical seats at City Varieties are the same thickness but the ones at the sides there are gentler on the derriere apart from the nuisance of being side on).

The intrusiveness of the lighting bars in the stage boxes is quickly forgotten about with the richness of the surrounding decoration and the niche lights on high work well, but the castle in a longboat motifs on the recreated rear stalls ceiling are so understated as to probably be overlooked by most.

There were a few of the ceiling LEDs out in a stretch which was rather obvious as it broke the symmetry. (The blue splodges are from stage lighting, an inevitable cameraphone shot).

After exploring the various levels during the interval, I went down an exit stair that I erroneously thought led through to the Stalls as well. I did find a wide open door to what had been the upper circle paybox at the bottom of the stairs and was amused to see some decorative uplighters inside previously only seen (by me) in the 88 refurbishment brochure.

***Newcastle Historian*** · July 4th, 2012, 06:53 PM

.
Is Newcastle STILL the "3rd Home" of the RSC, after Stratford and London?

Will we see the re-start of permanent "Annual Seasons" of many RSC plays at Northern Stage, Theatre Royal, etc?

I wonder . . .

RSC boss says Newcastle still plays important role
by Barbara Hodgson, The Journal, July 4th 2012

NEWCASTLE will continue to play an important role in the Royal Shakespeare Company, according to new boss Greg Doran. Mr Doran, who is taking over from the recently-knighted Sir Michael Boyd as the RSC’s artistic director and whose groundbreaking production of Julius Caesar is about to hit town, has confirmed the special relationship that exists with the region.

His comments will go some way to reassuring theatre-goers who feared for the future of the RSC’s annual visits which have been hosted by Newcastle since 1977, when then-artistic director Trevor Nunn decided more of an effort should be made to serve audiences across the country.

While the theatre company has never missed a visit since, the uncertainty of recent years has seen drastically pared-down seasons as the RSC faced upheaval during the £112m re-building of the main theatre in its Stratford-upon-Avon home, followed by funding cuts. Doran – currently associate director, with Julius Caesar marking his debut production in the re-opened theatre – says of the Newcastle relationship: “I really hope it will continue to flourish. It has been a very, very important part of the RSC for 35 years. I haven’t quite got my feet under the table yet but I’m absolutely determined that Newcastle will continue to play a really important part in the RSC’s vitality.”

As for the suggestion that Newcastle is no longer likely to see long runs of plays before their transfer to London, he said: “I don’t think that’s necessarily the case.”

Read More - http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-e...#ixzz1zfoRESJI

***Newcastle Historian*** · July 7th, 2012, 05:56 PM

.
The Theatre Royal, Newcastle: A New Short History
Vanessa Histon
Theatre Royal, Newcastle upon Tyne
2012.

image hosted on flickr

..

.

DXNewcastle · July 20th, 2012, 12:30 AM

On Tuesday, (July 17th), Newcastle City Council staff were re-painting (actually, it may not have been re- anything, as I can see no evidence of prior painting) the northern exterior of Theatre Royal at ground level.
The paint being applied to the slightly stained and worn sandstone was, well, sandstone colour.
Almost exactly 24 hours later, HM the Queen was driven up Grey Street and round the northern face of the Theatre Royal on towards Market Street.
I have no reason to suggest these events were connected.

However, I am very curious to learn about the long-term effects of painting such sandstone. I assume it is sucked into the stone and peels or flakes off on the exterior.

BTW, there didn't appear to be any more people waiting behind the barriers watching that you'd expect from the imposition of barriers in the middle of any other weekday with people going about their business.

delicolor · July 20th, 2012, 12:37 AM

Something very similar happened in Stavanger in 1981, some rather neglected looking disused warehouses on the harbour front suddenly got spruced up a day or two before the Royal yacht berthed nearby. The Council assured the town that it was coincidence...

delicolor · August 25th, 2012, 04:19 PM

(I went to last year's Frank Matcham Society event at Leeds City Varieties and found it fascinating.)

http://www.theatreroyal.co.uk/whats-...ociety-seminar http://www.theatreroyal.co.uk/whats-...ociety-seminar

"Old Theatres, New Times!
This one-day seminar will include an account of the recent restoration of the Theatre Royal, a 175 year old, Grade I listed building and examine the issues raised by theatres under threat or with uncertain futures. Rescuing old theatres and adapting them to serve modern conditions can present daunting challenges, but a successful project can do much more than bring a building back to active life. The reopening of a theatre can change the fortunes of a whole neighbourhood! Previous seminars have attracted considerable local interest both from those involved with restoration and generating local support.
There will be an extensive tour of the Theatre Royal and sessions will include tracing original documentation, addressing planning issues, assessing present day theatrical needs - both for audiences and productions - together with case studies of some current work returning “sleeping beauties” to active life.
Seminar 10.00 am (doors open 9.30 am)
Tickets £25 (full), £20 (Concessions & FMS members)
Early Bird - £5 off either price if booked before October 15
Light lunch available at £10 bookable in advance from the Box Office
Call the box office on 08448 112121 to book."

paddytoonleics · August 26th, 2012, 02:40 AM

Shame it's on a week day, but I'll have started working there then (I've escaped Leicester!), so will try catch some of this.

delicolor · November 9th, 2012, 10:40 PM

I noticed a small change to the new stalls plasterwork, the longboats are now illuminated.
[IMG]

[/IMG]

***Newcastle Historian*** · November 9th, 2012, 11:21 PM

Good photo!

Was there for "Oliver" the other day, and didn't notice!

I'll have to look next time.

paddytoonleics · November 10th, 2012, 02:07 PM

These are either Side of the new barrel ceiling at the back stalls walkway. They remain lit regardless of the house lights being dimmed or not, so act as very nicely disguised emergency lighting.

Anyone noticed the hoarding over the old Nat West at Grey st / Market st?!

Steve Ellwood · November 10th, 2012, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paddytoonleics

Anyone noticed the hoarding over the old Nat West at Grey st / Market st?!

Yes a bit of overkill in my opinion - hoardings advertising the shows on the front of the Theatre Royal and replicated on the Central Exchange Building.

***Newcastle Historian*** · November 10th, 2012, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paddytoonleics

Anyone noticed the hoarding over the old Nat West at Grey st / Market st?!

Yes, that one is being covered on either/both the 'Pubs' and/or 'Restaurants' thread, as I don't think it is certain exactly what it is going to be, yet.

delicolor · November 10th, 2012, 05:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Ellwood

Yes a bit of overkill in my opinion - hoardings advertising the shows on the front of the Theatre Royal and replicated on the Central Exchange Building.

Some people at the Matcham event observed the Panto banners (backwards from the Grand Circle Bar) and described them as "rather unfortunate", due to the passing resemblance of one of the cast to Jimmy savile...

delicolor · November 10th, 2012, 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paddytoonleics

These are either Side of the new barrel ceiling at the back stalls walkway. They remain lit regardless of the house lights being dimmed or not, so act as very nicely disguised emergency lighting.

Anyone noticed the hoarding over the old Nat West at Grey st / Market st?!

Hard to miss it!

I kept within questioning distance of David Wilmore (the historical consultant) whilst we looked around the auditorium, he was able to add a lot of information to the tour guide's surprisingly good presentation.

delicolor · November 10th, 2012, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Newcastle Historian

Good photo!

Was there for "Oliver" the other day, and didn't notice!

I'll have to look next time.

I took loads of photos with my camera in low light mode but without exception *all* of the upwards ceiling shots were out of focus!

Fortunately Ian Grundy was there, he takes excellent photos for the Theatres trust and puts them up on Flickr..

delicolor · November 10th, 2012, 05:25 PM

One other point of note- Philip Bernays the General Manager said yesterday that they hoped to open the historical permanent exhibition in the Gallery bar area in January. (They haven't got quite enough money together yet to finish it).

I'm not entirely certain how it will be laid out as it uses a bit of leftover space with a steeply sloping ceiling but I imagine it will be a number of environmentally controlled cabinets. The original Matcham drawings that they have will be on view, some of which were in the Olivier Suite (above Pasqualinos) until recently.

April 24th, 2012, 08:24 PM	#301
delicolor Ian Grey- Geordie Exile Join Date: May 2008 Location: Morley, Leeds, West Yorkshire Posts: 479 Likes (Received): 1	Here is a quick scan of their publicity puff piece, a bit too shiny for my scanner. Last edited by delicolor; April 24th, 2012 at 08:29 PM. Reason: Too wide!

August 25th, 2012, 04:19 PM	#310
delicolor Ian Grey- Geordie Exile Join Date: May 2008 Location: Morley, Leeds, West Yorkshire Posts: 479 Likes (Received): 1	One day event at the Royal, November 9th (I went to last year's Frank Matcham Society event at Leeds City Varieties and found it fascinating.) http://www.theatreroyal.co.uk/whats-...ociety-seminar http://www.theatreroyal.co.uk/whats-...ociety-seminar "Old Theatres, New Times! This one-day seminar will include an account of the recent restoration of the Theatre Royal, a 175 year old, Grade I listed building and examine the issues raised by theatres under threat or with uncertain futures. Rescuing old theatres and adapting them to serve modern conditions can present daunting challenges, but a successful project can do much more than bring a building back to active life. The reopening of a theatre can change the fortunes of a whole neighbourhood! Previous seminars have attracted considerable local interest both from those involved with restoration and generating local support. There will be an extensive tour of the Theatre Royal and sessions will include tracing original documentation, addressing planning issues, assessing present day theatrical needs - both for audiences and productions - together with case studies of some current work returning “sleeping beauties” to active life. Seminar 10.00 am (doors open 9.30 am) Tickets £25 (full), £20 (Concessions & FMS members) Early Bird - £5 off either price if booked before October 15 Light lunch available at £10 bookable in advance from the Box Office Call the box office on 08448 112121 to book."

November 9th, 2012, 10:40 PM	#312
delicolor Ian Grey- Geordie Exile Join Date: May 2008 Location: Morley, Leeds, West Yorkshire Posts: 479 Likes (Received): 1	I noticed a small change to the new stalls plasterwork, the longboats are now illuminated. [IMG][/IMG]

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May 31st, 2012, 08:47 PM	#303
delicolor Ian Grey- Geordie Exile Join Date: May 2008 Location: Morley, Leeds, West Yorkshire Posts: 479 Likes (Received): 1	"One of theatre design consultancy Charcoalblue’s biggest projects of 2011 has won a prestigious Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Award. The hugely successful Newcastle Theatre Royal restoration project was honoured with both ‘Project of the Year’ and ‘Building Conservation’ Award. The award showcases outstanding work in the conservation of a single building or a group of buildings or structures and covers renovation or conservation to a new or original use. Newcastle’s Theatre Royal reopened its doors to the public on Monday 12th September 2011 following an extensive £5 million restoration project that had drawn on the theatrical expertise of renowned, multi-award winning UK theatre consultants, Charcoalblue. Managing director of the company Andy Hayles explains: “The scope of the restoration for this Grade I listed theatre was particularly ambitious, and included complete internal redecoration, new seating, new and refurbished pit lifts, new lighting positions and extensive rewiring. Charcoalblue was responsible for the design of all the technical systems and their integration within the historic fabric of the building, as well as advising on sightlines and seating layouts.” The RICS Conservation Award judges reviewed a number of criteria in choosing which project to honour, including how much of the original material remains in the building, and what methods have been adopted to re-use original material; the major conservation achievements; the important architectural features of the property and how have they been conserved; and how users and the local community received it". More- Theatres Trust:http://www.theatrestrust.org.uk/news...ous-rics-award ET Now: http://www.etnow.com/news/2012/5/cha...ous-rics-award

June 19th, 2012, 06:54 PM	#304
*Newcastle Historian* Moderator and Archivist Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Newcastle upon Tyne Posts: 15,485 Likes (Received): 81	*Premiere of "Bohemian Rhapsody" at the Theatre Royal . . .* Evening Chronicle, Tuesday 19th June 2012 .

June 21st, 2012, 09:41 PM	#305
delicolor Ian Grey- Geordie Exile Join Date: May 2008 Location: Morley, Leeds, West Yorkshire Posts: 479 Likes (Received): 1	Well, after all that anticipation, I have to confess to being a tiny bit disappointed by the restoration after my visit to see a show a couple of weeks ago. The foyers felt a lot more claustrophobic on the three upper levels with the red rather than the cream walls and the box front plasterwork felt just too plain and simplistic compared to previous incarnations and similar decorative areas in other venues. It was if it had been "painted out" then the gold leaf very sparsely applied. Conversely, the frieze above the proscenium feels as though it has too much gold as the background to the figures and I had hoped for it to have mellowed under the decorative lighting (but it hadn't, it looked pretty much the same as Rory's shots). The re-tweaked spatial relationships of the various tiers are spot-on though and the seats look wonderful (although they get uncomfortable after an hour, the base cushion is not quite thick enough for my generous proportions. The identical seats at City Varieties are the same thickness but the ones at the sides there are gentler on the derriere apart from the nuisance of being side on). The intrusiveness of the lighting bars in the stage boxes is quickly forgotten about with the richness of the surrounding decoration and the niche lights on high work well, but the castle in a longboat motifs on the recreated rear stalls ceiling are so understated as to probably be overlooked by most. There were a few of the ceiling LEDs out in a stretch which was rather obvious as it broke the symmetry. (The blue splodges are from stage lighting, an inevitable cameraphone shot). After exploring the various levels during the interval, I went down an exit stair that I erroneously thought led through to the Stalls as well. I did find a wide open door to what had been the upper circle paybox at the bottom of the stairs and was amused to see some decorative uplighters inside previously only seen (by me) in the 88 refurbishment brochure.

July 4th, 2012, 06:53 PM	#306
*Newcastle Historian* Moderator and Archivist Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Newcastle upon Tyne Posts: 15,485 Likes (Received): 81	. Is Newcastle STILL the "3rd Home" of the RSC, after Stratford and London? Will we see the re-start of permanent "Annual Seasons" of many RSC plays at Northern Stage, Theatre Royal, etc? I wonder . . . RSC boss says Newcastle still plays important role by Barbara Hodgson, The Journal, July 4th 2012 NEWCASTLE will continue to play an important role in the Royal Shakespeare Company, according to new boss Greg Doran. Mr Doran, who is taking over from the recently-knighted Sir Michael Boyd as the RSC’s artistic director and whose groundbreaking production of Julius Caesar is about to hit town, has confirmed the special relationship that exists with the region. His comments will go some way to reassuring theatre-goers who feared for the future of the RSC’s annual visits which have been hosted by Newcastle since 1977, when then-artistic director Trevor Nunn decided more of an effort should be made to serve audiences across the country. While the theatre company has never missed a visit since, the uncertainty of recent years has seen drastically pared-down seasons as the RSC faced upheaval during the £112m re-building of the main theatre in its Stratford-upon-Avon home, followed by funding cuts. Doran – currently associate director, with Julius Caesar marking his debut production in the re-opened theatre – says of the Newcastle relationship: “I really hope it will continue to flourish. It has been a very, very important part of the RSC for 35 years. I haven’t quite got my feet under the table yet but I’m absolutely determined that Newcastle will continue to play a really important part in the RSC’s vitality.” As for the suggestion that Newcastle is no longer likely to see long runs of plays before their transfer to London, he said: “I don’t think that’s necessarily the case.” Read More - http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-e...#ixzz1zfoRESJI

July 7th, 2012, 05:56 PM	#307
*Newcastle Historian* Moderator and Archivist Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Newcastle upon Tyne Posts: 15,485 Likes (Received): 81	. The Theatre Royal, Newcastle: A New Short History Vanessa Histon Theatre Royal, Newcastle upon Tyne 2012. image hosted on flickr .. .

July 20th, 2012, 12:30 AM	#308
DXNewcastle Registered User Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Newcastle Posts: 1,129 Likes (Received): 5	On Tuesday, (July 17th), Newcastle City Council staff were re-painting (actually, it may not have been re- anything, as I can see no evidence of prior painting) the northern exterior of Theatre Royal at ground level. The paint being applied to the slightly stained and worn sandstone was, well, sandstone colour. Almost exactly 24 hours later, HM the Queen was driven up Grey Street and round the northern face of the Theatre Royal on towards Market Street. I have no reason to suggest these events were connected. However, I am very curious to learn about the long-term effects of painting such sandstone. I assume it is sucked into the stone and peels or flakes off on the exterior. BTW, there didn't appear to be any more people waiting behind the barriers watching that you'd expect from the imposition of barriers in the middle of any other weekday with people going about their business.

July 20th, 2012, 12:37 AM	#309
delicolor Ian Grey- Geordie Exile Join Date: May 2008 Location: Morley, Leeds, West Yorkshire Posts: 479 Likes (Received): 1	Something very similar happened in Stavanger in 1981, some rather neglected looking disused warehouses on the harbour front suddenly got spruced up a day or two before the Royal yacht berthed nearby. The Council assured the town that it was coincidence...

August 26th, 2012, 02:40 AM	#311
paddytoonleics Registered User Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Newcastle Upon Tyne Posts: 394 Likes (Received): 0	Shame it's on a week day, but I'll have started working there then (I've escaped Leicester!), so will try catch some of this.

November 9th, 2012, 11:21 PM	#313
*Newcastle Historian* Moderator and Archivist Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Newcastle upon Tyne Posts: 15,485 Likes (Received): 81	Good photo! Was there for "Oliver" the other day, and didn't notice! I'll have to look next time.

November 10th, 2012, 02:07 PM	#314
paddytoonleics Registered User Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Newcastle Upon Tyne Posts: 394 Likes (Received): 0	These are either Side of the new barrel ceiling at the back stalls walkway. They remain lit regardless of the house lights being dimmed or not, so act as very nicely disguised emergency lighting. Anyone noticed the hoarding over the old Nat West at Grey st / Market st?!

November 10th, 2012, 05:25 PM	#320
delicolor Ian Grey- Geordie Exile Join Date: May 2008 Location: Morley, Leeds, West Yorkshire Posts: 479 Likes (Received): 1	One other point of note- Philip Bernays the General Manager said yesterday that they hoped to open the historical permanent exhibition in the Gallery bar area in January. (They haven't got quite enough money together yet to finish it). I'm not entirely certain how it will be laid out as it uses a bit of leftover space with a steeply sloping ceiling but I imagine it will be a number of environmentally controlled cabinets. The original Matcham drawings that they have will be on view, some of which were in the Olivier Suite (above Pasqualinos) until recently.