Audience sightlines, accessibility and acoustics all make theater seating a hugely precise art. As part of their setof online resources for architects and designers, the team at Theatre SolutionsInc (TSI) have put together a catalog of 21 examples of theater seatinglayouts. Each layout is well detailed, with information on the number of seats,the floor seating area and row spacing. These layouts fall under three generalforms; to supplement this information, alongside TSI's diagrams we've includedthe pros and cons of each type, as well as examples of projects which use each format.Read on for more.
In the End Stage form, the entire audiencefaces the stage in the same direction. Sightlines are kept simple, making theselayouts perfect for lectures, films and slide-based presentations. They alsofit well into conventional rectangular plans.
However, End Stages are not overly successful at creating a close relationship between performer and spectator.Theatres in this form also can’t be too large due to acoustic limits.
【实例】
布莱思艺术中心---Stevens LawsonArchitects
Agora 剧院---UNStudio
Guarda市政剧院--- AVA Architects
Wide Fan
这种剧院的布局将观众席以130°夹角包围着舞台,可以拉进观众与演员的距离,享受更为亲密的观演体验。
In this form, theatre seats are placed within a 130-degree angle of inclusion. This brings in the audience closer tothe performer, establishing a more intimate experience.
This angling also means that the form is better geared towards speech-related performances. Film presentations would be trickier in these spaces, with screens requiring proper positioning – perhaps further back from the stage, to compensate for seats that find their sightlinesdistorted.
3/4 arenas see a 180-270-degree angle ofinclusion. Hearing and visual contact between spectator and performer is improved, and as audience members can see each other when facing ahead, the sense of inclusion is increased even more.
However, conventional film presentationsare almost impossible and would require an alternative screen layout, such as anumber of smaller screens arranged throughout the space.
While the above three tend to be the most common forms of seating layout, they are by no means the only ones. Further options include Arena seating where the audience wraps around the stage a full360 degrees, common for extra-large theaters like the Royal Albert Hall, andthe Vineyard style where seats are arranged in cascades of mini-blocks ofvarying levels, including the rear of the stage, as seen in the Hamburg Elbphilharmonie.
Or even more differently, Bijlmer Park Theatre is a hybrid between End Stage and Arena, with flexible pull-outseating turning it from one to another, while The Wave’s seating takes after its namesake.