Charcoalblue Projects Win a Raft of Industry Awards This has been an eventful year for the UK theatre consultancy Charcoalblue. The company has been responsible for a number of major UK theatre projects - both renovations and new builds -- including the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury and the Newcastle Theatre Royal; as well as the transformation of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. Although the RST was completed in 2010, it only opened to the public in April 2011, with a new repertory created specifically for the space. Described by Charles Spencer in the Telegraph as "one of the most stunning theatre makeovers in living memory," the venue was shortlisted for the RIBA Stirling Prize and has won this year's Building Awards Project of the Year, the RIBA Regional (West Midlands) Award, the Enjoy England Outstanding Contribution to Tourism Award, the FX Awards Leisure and Entertainment Venue Award, the 3R (Refurb, Rethink, Retrofit) Cultural Buildings Award, and the British Construction Industry (BCI) Major Project Award. In making their award, the BCI judges said "There were no compromises in the tough decisions made to achieve the end result, which is a brilliant synergy between old and new." The Royal Shakespeare Company is itself a winner of the RIBA Client of the Year award; in his acceptance speech, Michael Boyd, the RSC's artistic director, said: "The people who make the client look good are the people in the middle; the people between the architect and client, who translate backward and forward and make us all love each other. Charcoalblue... have been wonderful people to work with." The Newcastle Theatre Royal reopened after a £4.9m ($7.5m) refurbishment in September 2011, has been described by the theatre's chief executive, Philip Bernays, as "gobsmackingly gorgeous," and hailed as "one of the biggest and most meticulous theatre restorations in recorded history." The new Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury, which opened in October 2011, has been praised by the Telegraph's Charles Spencer as "a beauty... the new building offers a sleek and airy modernity that sits remarkably comfortably within the ancient city." Icon magazine's Will Wiles says that the £26.6m ($42m) theatre "combines civic dignity with a few touches of appropriately theatrical flair." Mark Everett, the theatre's director, adds, "We have a stunning 1,200-seat main house that uses all the well-established traditional principles of auditorium design to provide a warm and intimate space." The £35m Corby Cube ($55m), which opened in November 2010, has won the 2010 Government Business Awards Regeneration Project Award, the 2011 Public Sector Building of the Year Award, the 2011 RICS East Midlands Regeneration Award, a commendation from the Concrete Society, and was also shortlisted for this year's BCI Awards. Peter Knott, director of Arts Council England says, "It is a real success story for local people. Arts and culture are at the heart of Corby Cube and the Corby Cube represents the regeneration of the town." The 400 Hall at Repton School, which reopened in October 2011 after a £3m ($5m) refurbishment, has transformed the space with the addition of movable and adjustable tiered seating and a new tension-wire grid. It is now regarded by the school as "a stunning performance venue... we feel it must be one of the best school theatres in the country." The UK Centre for Carnival Arts in Luton, which opened in 2009, won a RIBA Regional Award 2011. Building Magazine described it as "a building so vibrant and inventive that it will have even the most grudging Lutonian dancing in the streets." Andy Hayles, managing director of Charcoalblue, says, "We're thrilled that our work has found so much favor with so many crucial people: the architects, the clients, and, most importantly, the end users and audiences. The fact that our projects have also won a raft of awards and been praised in national and trade press is the icing on what will be a very big Christmas cake this year. "Theatre consultancy is a delicate balancing act between getting the environment and technical facilities right for performance while ensuring that each venue retains its own distinct atmosphere, character, and personality," continues Hayles. "There's no perfect model, no simple solution -- each theatre is unique. Each has its own requirements, its own limitations and its own wonderful qualities. We work alongside the architects and clients to ensure we all deliver a uniquely dynamic building that work both aesthetically and as a performance space now and into the future -- whatever the type or mode of performance." 
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