/f j H- 2L. ~ZV o f 5 ^ I . ' . &WMT(SW 0 Shewing tkeJPMSWtairiPJLlL FmQWT and &JJM $XME< a: COMPENDIOUS DESCRIPTION OF A DESIGN FOR A THEATRE; MADE IN PURSUANCE OF AN ORDER (AND NOW PUBLISHED UNDER^ PERMISSION) FROM THE COMMITTEE OF SUBSCRIBERS FOR CARRYING INTO EFFECT THE PROJECT OF ERECTING A THIRD THEATRE IN THli METROPOLIS. ILLUSTRATED BY PLATES. By GEORGE WYATT, F. S. A. Architect. Itontmn : PUBLISHED BY J. TAYLOR, ARCHITECTURAL LIBRARY, HIGH HOLBORN ; AND W. MILLER, ALBEMARLE STREET. t PRINTED BY T. HARPER, JUN. CRANE COURT* FLEET STREET. 1812. Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2016 with funding from Getty Research Institute https://archive.org/details/compendiousdescrOOwyat A COMPENDIOUS DESCRIPTION, $c. A n adequate subscription having been raised, and a Com- mittee formed, for the purpose of carrying into effect the project of erecting a Third Theatre for dramatic entertain- ment in the Metropolis, directions were officially transmitted to me, in November 1809, to prepare a design for it, calcu- lated to hold from five to six hundred pounds per night ; which design was delivered into the possession of the Com- mittee in June, 1810. In considering a subject of this nature, it appeared, that although existing and recent examples held forth many proofs of great architectural merit, none were proper for complete and unqualified imitation. Three material points, viz. first, the capaciousness of the auditory (on the limits of which dra- matic enjoyment so much depends) ; secondty, the appropria- tion of a few annual or individual boxes ; thirdly, the separa- 4 tion, as far as was consistent with established custom, of the classes of company in the boxes, it became necessary to con- sider with great attention to the interests of the Subscribers, and a sense of propriety to the Public. It is unquestionable that the expenses of a theatrical establishment of the first rank in London are very great, deman- ding a certain revenue every night (and consequently a house of a certain capacity), to maintain them ; some attention, never- theless, is due to the proper gratification of an audience, so that it may be said, that the magnitude of a Theatre ought to be limited by the enjoyment which it yields ; but the pecu- niary views of other establishments of this nature have, in some instances, required a house of immoderate extent to meet them, and wherein, no doubt, the judgment of the archi- tect has been superseded, probably to the injury of his fame, and undoubtedly to the prejudice of dramatic representation. We may consider, therefore, as essential to the perfections of a theatre, First — That no greater scope or capaciousness of accom- modation, no greater sacrifice of public to private or individual advantage, be admitted, than what will afford, or will not prevent, the clear possibility not merely of seeing and hearing, but of seeing and hearing so distinctly as to receive the full impression of the scene. 5 Secondly — That the limits within which this effect may be produced, being tolerably well ascertained from recent and existing circumstances, should form a guide not to be over- looked in the construction of a new one. Thirdly — That every facility of escape, on any sudden occasion of alarm, be provided for each department of the audience by spacious vomitories, staircases, and avenues, constructed of solid and incombustible materials, and simple in their several directions. Fourthly— That those arrangements which have a ten- dency to induce or occasion an unsuitable mixture of company in the dress boxes, be avoided, so far as convenience and propriety will allow. Fifthly — That the extent and magnitude of the whole building, as well as the space allotted to saloons, vestibules, corridors, and other places intended merely for show and promenade, be kept in due proportion to the capaciousness and style of the auditory. Sixthly — That a small number of boxes be provided for domestic parties (without infringing on any of the advantages of the general boxes of the same circle), to be exclusively their own, for the night only. Seventhly — That the boxes appropriated to the Royal Family, and those for the use of persons connected with the 6 private concerns of the Theatre, be so placed, as not in any degree to encroach upon the freedom, of the public circles, or obstruct the view of the stage to those who may sit in them. The circumstances under which these plans have been formed, have afforded every opportunity of accomplishing the foregoing objects. The proposed amount of nightly receipts, viz. from five to six hundred pounds at the current prices, will require a house of no immoderate dimensions to supply it. In the adoption of form, and in the arrangement of parts, no restrictions have been imposed upon the architect — no sacrifice of economy to profusion, of simplicity to splendour, nor of sufficiency and propriety of accommodation to una- vailable space, have been required, more than was essential to the character and object of the establishment. Upon these general principles, therefore, the plans which form the subject of this publication (and of which the originals are now in the possession of the Committee), have been com- posed ; eminent authorities on the propagation of sound, in its connection both with form and materials, having been con- sulted, as essential to a proper application of a theory so complex, so strictly philosophical, and when applied to a theatre, counteracted by so many incidental circumstances. The detail of the parts, as represented in the following plates, is accompanied with references, in which are also 7 embodied such observations as may be necessary to explain and justify any peculiarities in the plans, and especially those wherein a departure from the usual mode of arrangement, in the former theatres, has been adopted. Albany , Jan. 1812 . 8 THE FRONTISPIECE Is a perspective sketch, giving a view of the principal front or Box entrance, with one of the sides of the building, in which are shewn the arches of the piazza to the Pit and Gallery doors, &c. The situation is supposed to be in an open square, so far at least as to be entirely insulated from other buildings. In the character of the external, a general simplicity has been the chief aim; and for novelty, as well as for economy, the flat facade, or colonnade, in the principal front, has been preferred to the more noble projection of a portico, notwithstanding the grandeur which an appendage of that kind is calculated to give to the building to which it is attached. 9 PLATE I. PLAN OF THE GROUND, OR PIT FLOOR. In this plan is distinctly shewn the mode of approach to the three several compartments of the auditory, viz. the Boxes, Pit, and Galleries. The former is exclusively confined to one end, or the principal front of the building. A, is a general entrance, or waiting-hall, 14 feet wide, previously to passing through the pay-bars, and being admitted into the house. To this room there are five doors, or vomitories. Immediately forward from the centre door is the Vestibule B, 44 by 24, which leads directly to the first or dress circle of Boxes, ascending right or left by the steps C, 8 feet in width (see plate II). To this Vestibule there are three doors, the centre of which only is to be reserved as the door of admission — the other two thrown open as vomitories at the close of the perfor- mances. At each end of the Vestibule sufficient space is left, beino- out of the line of thoroughfare, for the convenience of those who may be kept waiting for servants or carriages; and at each end of the waiting-hall are staircases D, 18 feet wide, leading to the upper circles of boxes. The first ascent is by B 10 a centre-flight of steps, 8 feet in width, to a semi-circular landing, which is on a level, and communicates, with the lobby of the dress circle. (This is more distinctly shown in plate II.) At the close of the performances, the two pay-bars at e, occu- pying the entrance to these staircases, are to be removed, and the space, which is 12 feet wide in each, to be thrown entirely open. E, covered walk or piazza, 16 feet wide, for the conve- nience of waiting till the hours of admission to the Pit and Galleries. Places of this description are extremely desire- able, not more for shelter, than for the keeping distinct the approach to the Boxes from that to the Pit and Galleries, as well as for preserving the public street, from the interruption of a large assemblage of people. There are not more than four steps of ascent in the approach to the Pit, and it will be observed, that there are six vomitories or out-letts, each 6 feet wide, three on either side of the house, for this portion of the audience. — a, c, open arches of the piazza, closed, at proper seasons, with iron gates:— b, b, doors to be thrown open, in addition to the pay-door, at the general close of the house. E, Passage of Admission to the Pit. G, a Bar for refreshments, &c. for the Pit. H, lobby surrounding the Pit and commu- nicating with either side of it. I, the Pit, containing 18 rows of seats. The depth of the Pit, from the front line of the stage (inch -ding the orchestra) to the front of the boxes opposite is 11 41 feet, 9 inches. (That of the late Drury Lane Theatre was 51 feet 8, and that of the present Covent Garden 51 feet.) K, standing room in the Pit. L, nightly boxes, four on each side of the Pit. In proportion as the number of these Boxes extends to the back of the Pit, the whole depth or altitude of the house must of necessity be increased. It will be seen by the section in plate IV, that that altitude (viz. from the stage floor to the ceiling over the Pit) already measures 45 feet, which is 6 feet lower than the late Drury Lane Theatre, and 6 than the present Covent Garden. M, The King’s stairs. N, Stairs to nightly boxes, King’s side. O, Vestibule or waiting-hall: an occasional partition, separating the nightly-box end of the Vestibule from the King’s end, may be erected when His Majesty visits the Theatre. P, Stairs to Prince’s Box, and to the nightly boxes, Prince’s side. The Boxes which are here termed nightly may, indeed, it necessary, be annual; because they do not encroach upon any part of the public circles of Boxes, and consequently occasion no sort of inconvenience or objection to them. Q, Vestibule. R, Rooms on the ground- floor for the use of the stage. S, Carpenter’s shop, &c. T, Stage-entrance. V, Musician’s room. W, Stairs leading up to the stage-floor, and rooms above. X, Stairs to the Galleries, to be of stone, 5 feet in width ; those on one side of the house may lead to the upper, as well as to the lower Gallery; those on the other to the lower Gallery only. 12 PLATE II. PLAN OF THE FIRST, OR DRESS CIRCLE OF BOXES. A, the waiting hall continued. B, Vestibule, or en- trance to the dress circle continued. C, Stairs leading from the Vestibule to the lobby of the dress circle. D, Stairs to the upper circles. E, Landing place on a level with the lobby of the dress circle, and having an immediate communication with it. F, first centre flight of Steps, as mentioned in the reference at D, to plate L G, Side-boxes, three seats in depth. FI, Front-boxes. It is proposed that ten of these front-boxes (containing nine persons in each) on the dress circle, should be let out by the night- only , in the event of which, the private passage I (which should be entered only by persons having a ticket or other authority for visiting these Boxes) will completely sepa- rate them from the public lobby, and the partitions which divide them may be continued up to the ceiling. No inter- ruption to the view of the Stage would arise from this, the situation being immediately opposite to it, and not too Tar removed (as will be shown hereafter) from the reach of an 13 actor’s voice. It is presumed that an arrangement of this nature will obviate all the objections, and afford all the advantages, of what are called “ Private or Annual Boxes,” particularly when they are to occupy any part of the public circles. In this case, each Box will be in the exclusive pos- session, for one night only , of the party who engage it; and, as the authority for entering it should be by a ticket, and not by money taken at the door, such party may enter the house either by the general entrance A and B (plate 1), or by the private approaches on each side of the house, marked in plate 1, — O, N,. and P, Q. With the view of appropriating this circle principally, if not entirely, to dress company, the deep recess of Boxes, commonly called “ the Basket” (which has generally been permitted to extend to a great depth at the back of the circle), as well as the public Saloon for promenade and refreshment, have been entirely excluded from it: and the way of egress (for it is more on leaving, than on entering the Theatre, that an unsuitable mixture of the classes of company is to be apprehended) from this part of the Mouse has been kept as distinct as possible from that of the upper circles, still reserving a free, though not an immediate, communication between them, on the grounds that any attempts at restriction, in such cases, would defeat rather than promote the object in 14 view. — Thus it is clear from this arrangement, that' persons may go to, or return from, the upper dries as freely, though not as directly, through the Vestibule B, as by the Staircases D (in plate 1) at either end of it. In the event of adopting a regulation which has often been suggested, viz. of attaching a higher price of admission to the first circle of Boxes than to the upper ones, it is necessary to explain, that no other alteration would be required in this plan, than that of closing up the doors at E, on the first landing of the principal stairs, which immediately cuts off all communication between the dress and the upper circles, and leaves each to their own appropriate entrances, viz. the Vestibule for the former, the staircases for the latter; the waiting-hall, A, being common to each (see plate 1). With respect to what is understood by the “ size of the house,” on which (as we learn from experience) the full enjoyment of the performances so much depends, it is to be observed, that the distance from the front of the Stage to the back of the two centre dress, or nightly boxes is 48 feet. In the late Drury Lane Theatre, it was 57 . 9 ; and, in the present Covent Garden, 57 feet: this, however, refers only to the back of the Dress-Boxes, in those instances, and does not include the deep chasm of “ the basket,” which reached still farther backwards, to an extent ot nearly 15 feet (most lamen- 15 tably detrimental to distinct hearing), making in the total, from the front of the Stage to the back of the whole depth of opposite Boxes, from 72 to 74 feet. The width along the front of the Stage, as represented in these plans (viz. 6‘3 feet) is much greater than has been usual in the Theatres of this country. The cause, as well as the con- sequences, will be obvious on a little attention to the annexed plate. The general form of the house produced by the fronts of the boxes is, first of all, that of a complete semi-circle; but in- stead of afterwards taking a converging direction (according to the dotted lines marked *), it is made to expand, thereby placing the spectators in each of the two end-boxes with their faces fronting the stage, and affording a more complete view of it than has generally been obtained in such situations. The enlargement of the front of the proscenium followed as a matter of course, in pursuit of the object for which the Boxes were made to expand ; — and it may be remarked, that the form of the proscenium, (those parts, however, on each side of the curtain), being elliptical rather than square will not only tend to reflect the actor’s voice in its proper direction, but will afford an opportunity of displaying a spacious and extensive frontispiece to the whole body of spectators. No Stage-doors have been admitted as fixtures in th$ proscenium, for it is obvious that when they are wanted, they 16 should form a part of the illusion which the whole scenery is intended to convey to the mind, rather than of the frame through which that illusion is to be viewed, and in which character the proscenium ought always to be considered. Stage-boxes also, are equally improper and have not been admitted in these plans, unless one or two may be placed for the Stage-Manager, &c. behind the trellisse work, of the ellip- tical sides of the proscenium, in the same manner as the loges grilUes of the French Theatres. K. the King's box, which on other occasions, may be let out by the night. L, The King's anti-room, 20 by 16. M, The King’s stairs. N, Stairs to nightly Boxes, King’s side. O, the Prince’s Box. P. the Prince's anti-room. Q. the Prince's stairs, and also to the nightly Boxes, Prince's side. R, Apartments belonging the Stage. S, Small stairs, communicating from the rooms R, to others above, also belonging to the stage. T, Recesses for stowing Scenes. V. Stage Manager’s room. W. First green Room. X, Second ditto. Y, Dressing Room. Z, Gallery stairs continued. 17 PLATE III. PLAN OF THE SECOND CIRCLE, AND SALOON FLOOR. A, the Staircases continued from the general-entrance Hall. B, the public Saloon, 44 by 24, exclusive of the semi-circular recess. C, Bar for refreshments. D, Room for fruit-women, &c. E, Steps ascending to the Saloon from the lobby of the second tier. F, Steps ascending to the lobby of the third tier from the Saloon. G, Boxes, five seats in depth. H*, Ditto, four seats. H, side Boxes, three seats. I, nightly or annual Boxes. K, Stairs to ditto. L. Stairs leading to the rooms underneath (R, in plate II.) be- longing to the stage. M, dressing-room and other apartments, also appropriated to the use of the Stage. N. Stage stairs. O, The Scenery continued. P, Scene-painting room. Q, Gallery stairs continued. A public Saloon for the Boxes, is an appendage no otherwise necessary to a place of dramatic entertainment, than as far as custom has made it so: circumstances extremely derogatory to the character of our Theatres have undoubtedly arisen from this arrangement, but greater evils C 18 evils probably would ensue from its being totally abolished — still, however, it belongs more to the upper than to the dress Boxes, and it has therefore been placed, in this design, be- tween the second and the third tiers, so as to be immediately accessible from either. With respect to the side-boxes on the upper circles, it is to be observed, that in proportion as they approach the stage they must overhang it ; consequently the view to those who may sit on the back seats of these boxes must be extremely imperfect, and for this reason a greater depth than three seats ought not to be admitted. It is presumed, however, that the space occupied by the annual boxes I, by removing the termination of the public circles at a little distance from the stage, will obviate the disadvantages above-named ; and it will be evident, that this arrangement must fail of success, in proportion as the fionts of the Boxes take a converging rather than an expanding direction after the completion of the semicircle : in which case, every person in the side-boxes would have a tendency to sit with his bach , and not his face, towards the stage. The Boxes and lobby of the third circle correspond exactly with those of the second, and the Stairs at A are continued up to them, as well as those at F at the entrance of the Saloon. There are also six slip Boxes on each side of the tw r o shilling Gallery, as shewn by the section, plate IV. The approach to them will be obtained from the lobby of the third circle. 19 PLATE IV. LONGITUDINAL SECTION OF THE AUDITORY, This section comprehends an extent from the green curtain to the back of the upper Gallery, giving an outline sketch of the interior of the House, including one of the ellip- tical sides of the Proscenium, sections of the seats in the Pit, Boxes, and Galleries, with the lobbies adjoining, and about one third of the width of the public Saloon, and of the Vestibule under it, which forms the approach to the dress Boxes. A. is the Proscenium, the cieling of which, it will be ob- served, is made to form a part of the same surface, with that over the Pit (as at the Opera House in London), the whole taking an oblique direction from the top of the green curtain towards the one shilling Gallery. This general form and space of the Proscenium, has, indeed been suggested on the principle of avoiding, as much as circumstances will admit, all angles and projections in the construction of the auditory which are likely to create obstructions to the propagation of sound. That form 20 and space, as here proposed is, however, by no means common, and must rest upon the grounds which are assigned for it; the Proscenium of most of the Theatres in Europe being confined within a square recess, forming two great angular projections at the opening, with the cieling much lower than that which covers the Pit. B B, are the Boxes occupying the front part of the dress circle, which it is proposed to let out by the night, the partitions which separate them being represented as carried up to the cieling, and as finished in front with a light gilt trel- lisse work. B B*, boxes which may be either nightly or annual. C, the public Boxes. D, the lower, or two shilling gallery. E, the lobbies at the back of the Boxes. F, the public Saloon. G, Steps ascending to the Saloon, from the lobby of the second circle. H, Steps ascending from the Saloon to the lobby of the third circle. I, lobby at the back of the two- shilling Gallery. K, the upper, or one-shilling Gallery. The back seat of this Gallery is 80 feet from the front of the Stage. In the late Drury Lane Theatre, it was 93 feet For the purpose of keeping the cieling of the House as low as possible, and of affording a better height to that of the lower and upper Galleries, it was determined to place the latter, in the rear of the former, rather than bring it nearer to the Stage by carrying it over the two-shilling Gallery so as to form a cieling to it, as one tier of Boxes i 21 extends over another. — The consequence of this method would have been the addition of 6, 8, or more feet to the whole altitude of the House from the Pit floor to the cieling, besides compressing the lower Gallery under a low, deep, and un- wholesome space. L, private passage at the back of the nightly Boxes on the dress-circle. M, Vestibule, or principal approach to the dress Boxes. N, Steps leading from the Vestibule to the lobby of the dress circle. O, Passages in the approach to the Pit. P, Bar for refreshments for the Pit. A Theatre constructed upon the form, magnitude, and arrangements, which are described in the foregoing pages, and represented on the plates which accompanied them, would be 22 calculated to contain, without being filled to excess, as to number of persons and pecuniary amount, each night, as follows : s. d. £ s. d. Pit (including standing-room) at 3 6 — 121 9 0 Sixteen nightly or annua! Boxes, 4 containing nine persons in each • • . . 36 12 containing six ditto •• 72 — 108 — 7 0— - 37 1 6 0 Ten nightly Boxes on the dress circle, con - 1 ' ' ' . . 5 90 — ■ 7 0— - 31 10 0 taming nine persons in each* Public Boxes, in four tiers — 7 0— -304 10 0 . 6 0- - 41 0 0 1 0 - - 11 14 0 2376' >9 0 Printed hi/ T. Harper, .fun. 4, Crime Court, FUii Street, Londm. P3LAM of' the @m<&& ZRo fu Sculp €EM