Designing The Theatre On The Computer

Now we have all the information to hand about the scale and what we roughly want it to look like, we now turn our attention to the actual design phase. So let’s get cracking! As you’ve probably discovered, columns play an important part in this theatre design because from a constructor’s point of view they act as reference points to build from. We know their exact size. We also have side and top views of a theatre and a drawing of a proscenium arch. So all we need to do is use these as inspiration and thrash out a design on the computer until we arrive at a something great!

Setting up the machine

Being a web developer I have access to wonderful image software applications. These applications allow me to take an image and change it in whatever way I choose. I can resize its, reshape its, cut it, crop it and place “objects” on different layers. If you look at this web site’s animation, for example, you can see layers in action. The curtains, the spotlights, the background and text are all on different layers and the images used were created (or manipulated) using a powerful vector based application called Adobe Illustrator. Another application I use is Adobe Photoshop which, through personal preference, I prefer to use for specific jobs.

Getting the dimensions established

In Europe, measuring is done in metres, centimetres and millimetres. In the USA it’s all feet and inches. For this exercise I had to decide on a managable unit of measurement that would not only work well with 1:12th scale but could be used for building things. To cut a long story short I decided on millimetres as this is the easiest and most convenient way of calculating dimensions and sourcing materials such as metal, plastic and wood in Europe. Furthermore, most of the blueprints I reference just happen to be in millimetres. So in Illustrator I set all units, rulers and guides to this measurement.

Working out the overall model proportions

Using various theatre drawings and plans I worked out that I could construct the model theatre in four sections or "blocks". I decided on blocks for ease of construction "on site", transportation and storage. The sections would be divided up as follows:

Getting a column into the computer

Getting a column into the computer

Next it was very important to get at least one column into the computer as I needed a point of reference to build the proscenium arch around. The rest of the design process would then be a lot less complicated. Therefore, a column was imported into Illustrator via a flatbed scanner and the digital image scaled to its exact known proportions, in millimetres. I now had a column exactly 10 scale feet (10in or 254mm).

Adding templates & guides

I then introduced our Akron and Drury Lane plans into the design to get an idea of what their shapes looked like in relation to the column I had imported. This was very enlightening and made me re-think quite a few design aspects of the build. These templates would also allow me to draw over the top of the bits I liked and come up with something completely different for the bits I didn’t.

Adding templates & guides

My next task was to add guides onto the work space. This would stop me from getting carried away and make me stick to the predefined proportions of the project. The guides were added in order of importance working from the bottom left of the column (point of reference) and working upwards, outwards and down. Certain dimensions were already known such as the proscenium height and width. The stage height, orchestra pit depth, auditorium size all came from carefully looking at theatre plans and working out a realistic average that would fit the project perfectly.

Outline guides for the side, top and front views for the entire project were also added and locked-in so there would be no variation when it came to printing out the different views - and of course fitting the pieces together. Adding guides is a very, very time-consuming and tedious task and at times quite frustrating – but it is worth it in the long run, believe me!

Being an “Armchair Architect” for 8 months

So now I had the core of the project set up, all that was left for me to do was to get designing. From start to finish this took about 4– 6 months what with balancing work and family life. The design process is listed below so you can get a feel of how it was done:

Front View - Click to view

Front View

• Columns and their supports
• Stage surface
• Main Proscenium arch & detailing
• Proscenium Portico & detailing
• Framework for the rigging system (above the proscenium)
• Domed ceiling
• Cutaway of the orchestra pit
• Cutaway of the auditorium flooring
• Cutaway of boxes and their columns

Side View - Click to view

Side View

• Boxes & Columns
• Side portico & detailing
• Framework for the rigging system
• View of auditorium seating and sloping isles
• Cutaway of proscenium and its portico
• Cutaway of stage, under stage & orchestra pit
• Cutaway of auditorium floor
• Domed Ceiling

Top View - Click to view

Top View

• Stage surface (including outline of trap doors)
• Column Outline
• Proscenium arch outline
• Boxes Outline
• Orchestra Pit Outline
• Auditorium seating diagram
• Domed ceiling outline

As you can see I coloured the various views for ease of material identification. The plan is to use simple black and white plans that will act as templates for cutting and measuring during the build. These, of course, will be printed in full size and the plan is to have a professional printer do this OR print onto multiple sheets of paper which, if I am honest is not the preferred method.