More generous seats? Higher ticket prices
WE REFER to the letter by Mr Munir Shah, 'First-class hall,
economy-class seats' (ST, March 5), and Ms Teo Ching Hwa's letter
published in the This & That column (ST, March 7).
The layout of Esplanade's performing venues was designed by Theatre
Projects Consultants (TPC) from Britain.
This also included the seating arrangements. TPC are theatre design
consultants with vast experience and an impressive portfolio.
Accompanying our reply is a response from TPC Design Director Mark
Stroomer which, we hope, will shed some light on the design
rationale for Esplanade's venues.
The objective of the design and construction of the Theatre and
Concert Hall was to achieve the best possible acoustics, a sense of
intimacy and an optimum seating capacity.
The very positive response from many of the artistes who have
performed at the Esplanade and the feedback from our audiences
affirm that, finally, Singapore has a performing-arts centre of
international distinction that we can all be proud of.
We do recognise that some aspects of our seating plan may not fully
meet the very high standards that Singaporeans expect.
However, apart from the impact on acoustics, a more generous
seating arrangement would have resulted in fewer seats. This in
turn would translate into higher ticket prices for performances, as
presenters would have fewer seats to sell to recover their
costs.
The design decision that was made swayed towards having enough
seats to ensure that ticket prices are kept reasonable.
Affordability of the shows was of overriding importance to us and
the compromise in seating has not come at great sacrifice because,
in comparison to many other internationally renowned venues,
Esplanade's seating arrangements are actually considered to be very
good, if not generous.
We thank both Mr Shah and Ms Teo for writing to express their
views. We hope that our patrons, including Mr Shah and Ms Teo,
would be willing to put up with a little inconvenience to
appreciate the other very positive elements that contribute towards
a memorable concert or theatre outing and that the wide range of
ticket prices, made possible by the seating capacity of the venues,
allows for more Singa-poreans and visitors to enjoy performances at
Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay.
CAROLYN TAY (MS)
Director, Marketing Communications
The Esplanade Co Ltd
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THE seating arrangements in both the Theatre and Concert Hall at
the Esplanade are based on traditional proven designs for drama and
orchestral venues.
The spacing and length of rows are comparable to and improves upon
many internationally renowned spaces.
Modern European opera houses such as Gothenburg and Helsinki, both
completed in recent years, have a shorter distance between seats
and longer rows than the Esplanade lyric theatre.
Similarly, classic venues such as Royal Opera House, London;
Metropolitan Opera House, New York; and the Garnier Opera House,
Paris, have tighter and smaller seating layouts.
The same can be said of modern concert halls in the United States
and Europe having similar or less legroom than in Singapore. Many
have rows of up to 50 seats or more.
There are performance venues that give extra space but these do not
in general succeed in creating the excellent acoustics and intimacy
that the Esplanade enjoys.
Going to the theatre is an interactive experience that requires the
sharing of reactions and emotions. People need to be sensitive to
the proximity of others to create the collective experience that a
live performance demands.
Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay has been designed to international
expectations of acoustics and theatrical intimacy.
The venues bring a great many people as close to the performer as
possible in a room with a fine acoustic.
MARK STROOMER
Design Director
Theatre Projects Consultants, London
