Architecturally, Tara Theatre is a fusion of East and West and features an intimate 100-seat auditorium, a studio for rehearsals and small events and an outdoor patio walled by railway sleepers.
Designing the technical theatre installations for the new venue was Theatreplan. Mathew Smethurst-Evans, partner at Theatreplan, explained, "The brief for the redevelopment of the Tara Theatre was to provide a new adaptable theatre space with a rehearsal room, along with relevant back of house facilities and a foyer.
"One unusual challenge on this project was to provide the up-to-date technical installations, while maintaining a 'used and lived-in' aesthetic to the theatre and public spaces. With this in mind, we contacted Doughty Engineering as we've always had a very collaborative relationship with them. We presented the challenge to Doughty's Dan Phillips, asking if it would be possible to fabricate some socket boxes and facility panels for us and then to leave them out in the rain for about six months in order to achieve a rusty finish! That turned out not to be necessary - Dan worked his magic and we were soon sent a sample for approval by the client and architect, AEDAS Arts Team. That got the thumbs up and the Doughty 'Heritage Finish' was born."
This was certainly one of the more interesting challenges Doughty has been set. Most clients want their kit looking shiny and new, but in keeping with the ambience of the venue, it was important that the items Doughty supplied to Tara Theatre had that distressed look to them.
Dan commented, "From the minute you step through the Edwardian terraced front of the venue, you're immersed in another world - a far cry from the London streets outside. With exposed brickwork, walls lined with wood and an earth floor for the performance space, we understood that our kit needed to blend in seamlessly - and the way to do this was to essentially create a rust-effect."
Mathew added, "Doughty is our go-to for special projects and odd requests. They are always happy to be challenged and have such an array of products that they can always provide an innovative solution. Their can-do attitude is always welcome on a project - as designers we sometimes have crazy or strange ideas and it's nice to have suppliers that are enthusiastic about getting involved in the creative process."
(Jim Evans)
