Commissioned by Paines Plough's artistic directors James Grieve and George Perrin, Roundabout is an intimate, dynamic and socially democratic space. Conceived as a portable venue, Roundabout enables the forward-looking theatre company to take their own brand of production anywhere they want and maintain their own strong production values without a large technical staff.
Designed and delivered by a collective headed up by Osborne and Chapman alongside special effects and lighting designer Howard Eaton, the technical and space planning consultation came from Charcoalblue and acoustics consultation from Gillieron Scott Acoustic Design.
The team will discuss how the concept for the venue evolved from the early artistic ideas and ambitions of Paines Plough's creative team to its ultimate realisation by the design and build team.
Launched last August, Roundabout has already 'popped up' at the Edinburgh Festival and will soon appear at the Brighton Festival, amongst others. In January this year the venue was awarded The Stage Award's Theatre Building of the Year 2015, an accolade it now shares with the Liverpool Everyman, a project for which Charcoalblue also provided its theatre consultancy services.
"The aim was to create a venue with remarkable versatility that works straight out of the box," explains Chapman. "With integral lighting and sound systems Roundabout offers Paines Plough the flexibility of using a broad range of pre-programmed lighting and sound setups or enables them to programme their own bespoke effects as part of a detailed design process."
"Scenic elements and props are kept to a minimum," continues Osborne. "The focus is on the actor in the centre of the space, and most importantly the writing. The architecture of the round enables each member of the audience to tune into the reaction of the people around them: it's a true democracy."
James Grieve, Artistic Director Paines Plough is delighted: "We wanted a portable theatre that would flat pack into a lorry and pop-up in a day. Most people said it was impossible. But Emma and Lucy said 'let's make it possible'. Through their creativity, tenacity and passion for the project they somehow turned our wildest dreams into a successful reality."
To book a place at this event and hear more about Roundabout email events@soltukt.co.uk.
(Jim Evans)
