DUBAI // A new theatre partly inspired by Shakespeare's Globe in London has been completed at Dubai's oldest British school for aspiring actors. Dubai College students have begun drama classes in the new facility, and outside groups are expected to use it to hold events. Brian Johnson, the architect, said the design, with seating on three sides, gave an intimate feel much like the Globe and other well-known British theatres, such as the Cottesloe at London's National Theatre and the Swan in Stratford-upon-Avon.
"It's quite an inspiring space because there's a sense of immediacy," he said. "It's an encompassing theatre like the Globe in London. That's important in a school theatre. If you are sitting in the upper level, you can look across at other people in the audience. That means you are not just seeing the performance yourself, but you're seeing someone else watching it." The first Globe was built by Shakespeare's playing company in 1599 and gutted by fire in 1613, then rebuilt, only to be demolished in the mid-17th century by the Puritans. A reconstruction of the original, built on a nearby site, opened in 1997.
Mr Johnson, who also designed Sheikh Zayed cricket stadium in Abu Dhabi and the Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club, as well as the original Dubai College buildings nearly 30 years ago, said the design was as flexible as possible. For example, the stage can be used for seating and the orchestra pit converted into the stage for performances in the round. "I didn't want it to be a very prescriptive theatre. We have arrived at something that is acceptable for a poetry reading, a guitar concert, a full-on musical, for everything from A to Z," he said.
The theatre, which cost more than Dh20 million (US$5.4m) to build and has 950 seats, was completed more than a year late, mainly because of difficulties in obtaining materials and labour, both common problems in the UAE due to the volume of ongoing construction work. The cost was met from reserves held by the school, which is managed by a board of voluntary governors on a not-profit basis. In order to find space for the wedge-shaped theatre building, Dubai College had to knock down and rebuild its manual staff headquarters and move its tennis courts. If the cost of this work is added on, the total bill for the project stretches to more than Dh30m.
The theatre has 10 cameras and a video editing room that students can use to produce films of performances, said the school's bursar, Capt Richard Higgins. "It's really a vehicle for not only teaching drama, the performing arts and music, but also for all that backup that goes with those things like lighting and editing. Not every child wants to be an actor, so we can encourage those children to get involved in the more technical aspects of production," he said.
As well as the editing suite, the theatre also has a computer centre with 20 machines. There are also other teaching and practice rooms. "The acoustics throughout the building are superb, as is the sound system," Capt Higgins added. "The colour scheme is a blend of red, pink and grey and that gives an extremely warm atmosphere, much like a West End theatre in London." A string of organisations has contacted Capt Higgins to hire the venue for events including musicals and theatrical productions.
dbardsley@thenational.ae