Theatre Royal Plymouth

The Theatre Royal, Plymouth, was built between 1979 and 1982 by the Peter Moro Partnership, with a significant extension added in 2013 by Andrzej Blonski.

The building is a reinforced concrete structure with large span steel roofs covering the auditorium, fly tower and scene dock. It stands on strip foundations cast on a basement pad with individual pad footings. The stalls comprise a sloping flat slab with stepped risers, while the dress and upper circles are designed as stepped treads and rises spanning between raking beams. These beams are supported on columns in the foyer areas and the side walls of the auditorium and stairs, with a stiff ring beam at the front. Cantilever shear walls tied into the upper circle structure and cantilevered foyer slabs provide a column-free perimeter to the front elevation. The auditorium ceiling is made of steel and timber and weighs 140 tons.

The administrative offices are suspended above the foyers, with bronze anodised aluminium curtain wall facades hanging from the roof. The roof is felt with aluminium rooflights. The elevations are partly infilled with blockwork and large areas of bronze anodised aluminium windows with bronze tinted solar glass, which are also structural. The concrete of the foyers has been left exposed and shot-blasted.

The theatre is essentially octagonal in plan, positioned on a prominent corner site visible from many angles. Three levels of public foyers wrap around the main auditorium, with a small studio theatre to one side. The building is characterised by its octagonal plan and the varying heights of individual sections, creating a multi-layered effect with contrasting materials. The main entrance, housed in the 2013 extension, projects on the north-east side with a full-height glazed wall and concrete roof. The structural glazing of the original building continues around the ground floor, exposing the foyers to external viewers. Bronze-clad upper levels rise above, with the blockwork of the fly tower standing tall over the whole structure. Moving around the building, the blockwork of the studio theatre, main auditorium and fly tower weave together with glazing and bronze-clad elements. The differing heights and profiles highlight the differing functions within. At the rear are a large service entrance, stage door, and three floors of offices and backstage facilities.

The main entrance opens into the foyer as refurbished around 2013. The double-height space contains cafe and booking office facilities with a projecting mezzanine level above. The square columns of the extension distinguish them from the octagonal concrete columns of the original build. The lift shaft is also octagonal. Ceilings throughout are of textured plaster. The main stair rises to the right, turning at the half landing to accommodate the angle of the structural glazing alongside. The stair is of shot-blasted concrete with chrome handrails, with further octagonal columns expressing the building's structure. A further stair rises in a straight flight to the upper level. The upper foyers also have exposed concrete and blockwork denoting the rear of the auditorium. Secondary stairs on either side of the main auditorium rise the full height of the building.

The auditorium accommodates three levels—stalls, dress and upper circles—with 1,271 seats, reduced to 768 when the moveable section of the ceiling is lowered in front of the upper circle. The upper circle is symmetrical about the auditorium and building centreline, but the two lower levels are asymmetrically planned with a tongue of seating of the dress circle running down on the stage right to stalls level, designed for concert and conference use. The stage has a proscenium arch and is flexible, with a forward area that can be lowered to form an orchestra pit.

The studio theatre interior is plain with flexible seating and an upper balcony with moveable panels within the handrails. The back of house areas are largely functional with exposed materials and some services exposed at ceiling level.

At the rear, a blockwork wall matching the main building encloses the service yard; this terminates in an angled enclosure echoing the shapes of the main building. Adjacent to the west side of the building are angled blockwork planters with stairs giving access to the basement.