PROJECT OVERVIEW

At the heart of The Place Theatre is the Robin Howard Dance Theatre, a venue which offers an intimate setting for dance and currently plays host to over 200 performances a year.

The original seating, which was installed over 20 years ago had become tired and dated therefore changing the old seating rake to deliver increased comfort and flexibility was made a priority. After a successful application to the Arts Council; The Place Theatre worked with Theatre Plan consultants to create a specification for a completive tender process. The result of which was Hussey Seatway being chosen for the project.

SOLUTION

After intensive design meetings, we developed a scheme that would ultimately provide a bespoke seating solution for the theatre. The Gallery Extra chair was the specified seating type, chosen for its outstanding levels of comfort and high specification finish. In total 140 chairs were provided on power operated TP retractable platforms with an additional 138 fixed chairs for the balcony. A vast number of the balcony chairs had to be removable allowing for last-minute audience changes or technical requirements, in addition, they had to be designed for a heavy duty cycle. Other bespoke items included auto fold wood armrests for the retractable chairs, LED aisle lighting, barriers and leaning rails for the for the fixed seating.

PRODUCT DETAILS

Platform: Seatway TP

Seats: Gallery Extra

PARTNERSHIPS

Partners:  Theatre Plan 

TESTIMONIAL

“With a publicly funded project value for money was a key factor in the decision-making process, but equally the quality of the product was as important to allow existing audiences to notice the improvements. Hussey accommodated all requests right up to the last minute and drew upon design aspects from previous recent jobs to contribute to the work at the Place, while also adding small design changes and elements. They delivered the project on time to an exceptional standard. They handled small changes that had to be made on site due to the age of the building efficiently and quickly. The final product is one that all the project team at The Place are exceptionally happy with. The audience feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with many repeat patrons commenting on the huge improvement.

It is unlikely The Place will need to change the seating again in the foreseeable future, it is felt the right system is installed, and it is built to last.”

Graeme McGinty

Technical Manager