A theater is one of those medium which has been used by the mankind for the purpose of displaying the various forms of art since time immemorial. In this article, we have compiled a list of some of the most magnificent modern theaters. These are not marvelous just because of their architecture ,but also because of the location where they have been established.
1. Modern Roman Colosseum Concept
Hague, which is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands is aiming to become the European capital of culture in 2018, competing against other municipalities such as Utrecht, Maastricht and Almere. This contemporary version of the colosseum in Rome is a part of that plan and will be constructed on the malieveld, which is a large stretch of lawn, positioned along the entrance of the city and measures around ten hectares. This modern Roman Colosseum with a capacity of accommodating 5000 people will host concerts, fairs, exhibitions and performances.
2. Flekkefjord Cultural Center
This cultural center is located on the waterfront of Flekkefjord which is a town on Norway’s south coast. The Flekkefjord cultural center incorporates a theater hall, library, youth club, cinema, gallery and a cultural school. The approval for its construction has been granted recently. The Flekkefjord cultural center blends very well with the traditional architecture of this town. Four individual houses have been included in the design for the diverse nature of the functions to organized in here. The space between these houses is used as the gathering and circulation spaces. The interior and the exterior facades of the houses are woven together which results in a 3-dimensional public concourse.
3. Kaufman Center for the Performing Arts, Missouri
This building is truly magical; during the daytime, it hints at its interiors and at the same time reflects the structure’s surroundings. Whereas the condition in night is just opposite, when it displays all of its interior activities to the community outside. It has been designed in such a way that the people mingling during the intermissions or before and after performances are theatrically visible to one another. Thus, the great hall serves as the counterpoint to the theaters.
4. Rakvere Summer Theater
The best thing about the Rakvere summer theater is the bond which it makes with the nature. The tress, pond and the park appears to be an integral part of the stage-set. At most 12 plays can be organised in the outdoor theater stage during the summer. It is the driving factor behind the immediate connection between the audience and the actors which is truly mesmerizing. The entire theater has been created mainly with wood and this provides space and allows for dynamic stage lighting.
5. Knut Hamsun Center
The faceted volume of the Knut Hamsun center which was topped with an a-typical vertical glass roof was fascinating enough to draw the international attention. In the year 2009, when it was unveiled, only few people would have ever imagined that it will be able to gain that much of attention, and this became possible because of the Holl’s fascination with the interior light quality which compliments the reinterpretation of Mordic aesthetics. The prestigious Byggeskikkprisen award was given to the Holl + Oslo-based LY Arkitekter in the year 2011 for this outstanding piece of architecture. The Hamsun Center is a piece of original architecture that meets all of its functions in exceptionally exciting and unique ways and is deeply moving on many levels.
6. Sinfonia Varsovia Concert Hall
Sinfonia Varsovia Concert Hall is located on the site of a former veterinary institute. The center incorporates a symphonic hall with world class acoustic properties with a seating capacity of 1,800 people, merchandise facilities, large rehearsal areas, a small hotel for artists in residence and music lovers and music workshops. This is definitely a distinctive place of silence an that’s why it gives a precise answer on the demands of orchestra i.e., a place which is full of atmosphere and drama. The hall is also well suited for smaller chamber orchestras and symphony orchestras because of its compactness. The audience gets an impression of being ‘in midst the music’ because of short distances and volume.
7. Run Run Shaw Creative Media Center
The City University of Hong Kong is aiming to be one of the pioneer institute in Asia in terms of offering training and education in the field of creative media, that is why the Run Run Shaw Creative Media Centre is being built here. This Centre will house the Department of Computer Engineering and Information Technology and the Centre for Media Technology. The centre inhabits two sound stages, each of which are 2,200 sq ft and 5,400 sq fit respectively, television studio, multipurpose theater, three lecture rooms, electrical shop, computer labs and classrooms for production and research, flexible event and exhibition spaces and a restaurant.
8. Almonte Theater
Almonte theater is located on the site of an old winery. The architectural frame has tackled the challenge of integrating the existing old building so beautifully that they never appear to be out of place. These old building which have been declared as cultural interest are now an integral part of a cultural complex of 3 buildings and a common space. This place has turned out to be and important meeting area of the town.
9. Taastrup Theater
Danish architects COBE have transformed an existing theater in Taastrup, Copenhagen into a magnificent piece of architecture by wrapping it in a curtain of translucent prisms. These prisms appear to slope away from the the building. The new space has a triangular plan which inhabits a cafe and an entrance foyer. A translucent and clear acrylic is used for making these prisms and red lights are installed behind these prisms which illuminates when the theater is sold out. You will be surprised by the fact that initially, COBE were commissioned for improving the building’s energy consumption only, but later the responsibility of
improving its functionality and refurbishing the interiors was also given to them.
10. Theatre du Châtelard
The farm building which houses this theater has particularly very rich history. It has witnessed some of the events of the past four centuries. The Theatre du Châtelard which was originally created in the year 1999 was closed in 2001, because of some security concerns. Later, a project was launched which aimed at restructuring the theater entirely. This project made the full use of the local farm architecture and at the same time, it never compromised in terms of modern equipped facilities. The materials are often left unfinished and these unfinished aspect plays an important aesthetic role.