PLASA Show News: Charcoalblue Joins RSC and Stage Electrics to reveal the Secrets of Royal Shakespeare Theatre

At this year's PLASA show - September 11-14, Earls Court, London, the London-based theatre consultancy Charcoalblue will join the technical team of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre (RST) and Jonathan Porter-Goff, of Stage Electrics ,to reveal how their designs, and the collaborative work they did with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), transformed one of the world's most famous theatre auditoriums into a world-class performance space.

Andy Hayles, managing director of Charcoalblue says: "The Royal Shakespeare Theatre's Transformation project, which was completed last autumn, was a singular development in world theatre. The space embodies a host of new techniques and technologies. The auditorium has been designed, without compromise, to create -- in the words of RSC artistic director Michael Boyd -- "the best place in the world to perform Shakespeare."

Winner of a RIBA Award and shortlisted for the coveted Stirling Prize for Architecture 2011, the theatre was five years in the making (and much longer in the planning). The new auditorium provides a three-dimensional universe; wrap-around seating, and a thrust stage that allows for an immediate contact between the audience and players, as well as audience on audience, giving a rich dimension to sound, action, and set.

"At last, Stratford-Upon-Avon finally has a theatre worthy of Shakespeare's name," said the Guardian's Jonathan Glancey, when it opened.

Gavin Owen, senior consultant at Charcoalblue, provided project management services on the RST project, with particular emphasis on stage lighting, audio visual, and stage engineering systems. Owen who has been with Charcoalblue since 2005, will join speakers Vince Herbert, HOD lighting, Jeremy Dunn, HOD sound, Adam Harvey, HOD automation/stage engineering and Jonathan Porter-Goff, Stage Electrics, to divulge the details of this unique success live, only at PLASA 2011.

The event will be held at the Victoria Room, Earls Court 2, on September 13 from 2-3pm. You can book the session at the URL listed below.