Sulaiman Bin Ahmed
Mannheim Theatre
Mannheim Theatre was designed by Alessandro Galli da Bibiena, Mannheim, is a city in Germany and important in German history. In 1720, the town became the seat of government, a Court theatre was established in the castle, and between 1737 and 1741, the renowned architect Alessandro Galli da Bibiena built a baroque theatre in the town, and also designing the scenery for it. A garden theatre was built at Schwetzingen in 1752, and also a small open-air theatre, in 1778 Dalberg became director of the newly established National Theatre Mannheim, which under him became one of the foremost theatres in the gantry. Later in that year i.e. the same year, after the demise, of Ekhof's in Gotha, Ualberg engaged his troupe with Iffland at its head. One of Dalberg's greatest service to the German theatre was his faithful support of the young Schiller, whose Die Rauber had its hrst production at Mannheim in 1782. In 1796, partly owing to the rigours of war, the fortunes of the Mannheim theatre declined and the company was disbanded. Little was done till 1884 when J. Werther reopened the old National Theatre. A sudden upsurge in theatrical activity consequent upon this led to the building in 1898 of a small theatre, called the Colos-seum, intended for farce and popular drama. Three years later a larger theatre opened under the name of the Modern Theatre. The National Theatre was completely destroyed in 1943, but reopened in a temporary structure in 1945, then moving to a new theatre in 1957, where the post-war repertory has included a wide selection of new European plays as well as German classics.
Mies's Theatre introduced modern construction techniques into the ancient theatre typology to open up new possibilities for the art of drama. Mies's project differentiated itself by exploring more specifically the architectural possibilities of the large steel and glass hall completely free of interior columns. He reduced the number of constructional elements and maximised flexibility of internal arrangement. Mies carried out an experiment with collage technique, in which he introduced a stage, an excavated seating area, and hung acoustic panels. In this manner, Mies replaced the original, war-related use of the building with a performance venue, giving to the building a more cultural, artistic, and public character. The auditorium occupied most of the floor area, and the clear-span structure was expanded to contain the whole building, the auditorium opened to other interior spaces and visually integrated it into the exterior through large glass facades. The large collage measures approximately 120 by 245 centimetres (48 by 96 inches). It shows a sectional elevation of Mies's Theatre and evokes the project’s essential ideas in a synthetic and compelling way. The deliberate omission of slabs, beams, and columns expresses the idea of a neutral shell containing a large free space, where partitions can be distributed at will independently of the structure. This sense of high flexibility is reinforced by the dynamic distribution of the partitions and by their floating appearance. Variations in shape convey different elements, which follow the traditional spatial sequence: foyer, seating area, stage, and backstage, with staff rooms below the elevated auditorium. Overall elements, including a hung acoustic shell, adhere to the background modulation. The yellow colour of this background indicates the illumination emanated from an extensive glass skin that ideally faces a park.
The project was arranged over two floors to accommodate the stages and seating areas more conveniently, and to separate the technical production from the artistic production. Mies placed the technical production - which included stages, workshops and storage rooms - in the upper floor. Meanwhile, the lower floor sheltered the artistic production, which included the administration, dressing room, costume storage, rehearsal, lounge, counter, cafeteria, kitchen, delivery, garage, and elevator. This complicated spatial organism was covered with a huge steel and glass shell; and defined with lightweight, fire-proof internal partitions. Mies dispensed with these partitions in the auditorium, side galleries, and foyer to integrate the latter into a single large, continuous space that was envisioned as 'an imposing and festive hall' (34). Being approximately 81 metres (266 feet) wide, 162 metres (533 feet) long, and 12 metres (40 feet) high (35)
REFERENCE
Hartnoll, Phyllis, ed. The concise Oxford companion to the theatre. 1st ed. London: Oxford University Press, 1972. ISBN 0-19-281102-9. p. 333
Tidworth, Simon : Theatres: An Illustrated History. London 1973
'Theoretical Projects, Nature & Significance through the Case Study of Mies van der Rohe's Work' (2012)
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