Berry Theatre

  • New build 300-seat theatre.
  • Flexible space can be configured as workshop, auditorium or cinema.
  • Used by professional touring companies and community groups.

Arup worked closely with the architects and stakeholder groups to deliver this versatile theatre to a tight budget, complementing other facilities in the area of Eastleigh, England.

Retractable seating and adjustable floor sections allow the theatre to be used as a large flat-floor space for workshops or be reconfigured as a 300-seat auditorium for music, theatre performances or digital cinema presentations with surround sound.

Comprehensive technical facilities include manual and motorised hoist bars, a networked digital audio infrastructure and variable acoustics. A tension wire grid above the auditorium provides a safe environment for technical theatre training.

A project run by the local council, to be operated by a professional theatre management and sited adjacent to a specialist performing arts school, presented a challenging set of requirements from the different stakeholders.

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  • Berry Theatre, auditorium seating.Open gallery

    The flexible space can be configured for theatre performances and digital cinema.

  • Berry Theatre, tension wire grid and lighting units.Open gallery

    A tension wire grid above the auditorium provides a safe environment for technical theatre training.