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Studio Theatre Design Challenges

Roundtable discussion

Studio theatres are often the incubators of our art form. Despite this, they are sometimes seen as a second thought when it comes to performing arts centre design and construction. This is unfortunate because a typical 150 seat studio theatre must embrace all the technology, comfort and audience ambiance of a 1000 seat venue – only in a much smaller footprint! The proposed discussion will address the pros and cons of current studio theatre design. What works and, just as importantly, what doesn’t work!

The goals of this discussion will be to promote the profile of the studio theatre genre and to encourage communication between the people who build these rooms and the people who actually use them.

Presenter: Thom Payne, Athos Zaghi, John O'Keefe and Peter Manna

Thom Payne is one of Canada’s most creative and experienced theatre architects. His building designs include Toronto’s Young Centre, the Stratford Festival Theatre renovation and, most recently, the Dalhousie Arts Centre in Nova Scotia.

Athos Zaghi is both a theatre consultant and a practicing architect. Although based in Toronto, most of his current work is in the U.S. Notable Canadian project include the Princess of Wales Theatre, the Aga Khan Museum Recital Hall and the recent renovation of the Ed Mirvish Theatre for the Toronto production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

John O’Keefe has been responsible for the acoustic design of many of Canada’s favourite performing arts venues. His work spans the country, from the Queen Elizabeth Theatre renovation in Vancouver, the Esplanade Arts Centre in Medicine Hat, Theatre Aquarius in Hamilton, all the way to the Confederation Centre renovation in Charlottetown, PEI.

Peter Manna is a project manager with a specialty in constructing buildings for the performing arts. Peter has managed the construction of the Toronto’s Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, the Streetcar Crowsnest Theatre and, most recently, the Nia Centre for the Arts.