Milton Keynes Theatre
Encyclopedia
Milton Keynes Theatre is a large theatre in Milton Keynes
(ceremonial county
of Buckinghamshire
). It opened on 4 October 1999, 25 years after the campaign for a new theatre first started.
Designed by architects Blonski-Heard with Kut Nadiadi and Robert Doe, the theatre design employed the latest state-of-the-art building techniques, using some of the most technically advanced equipment available.
The auditorium
has been carefully designed to accommodate various shows: the ceiling can be lowered or raised depending on the scale of the production. The seating can also be moved around within the auditorium
to vary the capacity from between 900 and 1,400. Consequently the theatre accommodates a wide range of productions, from large-scale musicals, to smaller, more intimate drama.
The acoustic designers, Arup Acoustics, used a 1:50 scale acoustic model to determine the effect of the moving ceiling on the acoustic.
The programme includes a variety of large and small West End
productions and a spectacular Christmas
pantomime
, touring opera
and ballet
, as well as touring drama.
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
(ceremonial county
Ceremonial counties of England
The ceremonial counties are areas of England to which are appointed a Lord Lieutenant, and are defined by the government as counties and areas for the purposes of the Lieutenancies Act 1997 with reference to the metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England and Lieutenancies Act 1997...
of Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
). It opened on 4 October 1999, 25 years after the campaign for a new theatre first started.
Designed by architects Blonski-Heard with Kut Nadiadi and Robert Doe, the theatre design employed the latest state-of-the-art building techniques, using some of the most technically advanced equipment available.
The auditorium
Auditorium
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances at venues such as theatres. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens.- Etymology :...
has been carefully designed to accommodate various shows: the ceiling can be lowered or raised depending on the scale of the production. The seating can also be moved around within the auditorium
Auditorium
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances at venues such as theatres. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens.- Etymology :...
to vary the capacity from between 900 and 1,400. Consequently the theatre accommodates a wide range of productions, from large-scale musicals, to smaller, more intimate drama.
The acoustic designers, Arup Acoustics, used a 1:50 scale acoustic model to determine the effect of the moving ceiling on the acoustic.
The programme includes a variety of large and small West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
productions and a spectacular Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
pantomime
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
, touring opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
and ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
, as well as touring drama.