Geelong Grammar School, School of Performing Arts and Creative Design

Client

Geelong Grammar School

Location

Geelong, VIC

Completion date

2015

The new School of Performing Arts and Creative Design provides a collection of beautiful spaces designed to foster creative education and provide flexible meeting areas for a wide variety of functions.

Photography: John Gollings

Our Brief

Marshall Day was responsible for the building acoustic design, theatre, and audio visual design.

David Darling Playhouse

The largest space is the David Darling Playhouse. In assembly mode it utilises 800 retractable seats supplemented by flat floor loose seating for large school gatherings. With the seats partially extended it supports spoken drama by using the front floor as a stage area and creating a soft proscenium with drapes suspended from the operable flown grids. By opening the orchestra pit, performances of musical theatre are also possible.

In flat floor mode dinner gatherings for several hundred guests or large orchestral rehearsals can be accommodated. Articulated timber wall panels with acoustic treatment are incorporated into the interior design of the space and operable acoustic banners allow the reverberation time to be adjusted to suit this wide range of configurations.

Bracebridge Wilson Studio

A flexible drama performance space is provided in the Bracebridge Wilson Studio, with three banks of retractable seats for an audience of up to 270. The flown technical bars allow an enormous variety of staging possibilities, supported by theatrical drapes and lighting supplemented by unobtrusive acoustic design features.

Other spaces

A multipurpose space equipped with sprung floors, mirrors and flexibly arranged drapes allows the creation and rehearsal of a wide range of dance and drama productions. Two teaching spaces separated by an operable wall can suit a wide range of class sizes, or can be reconfigured to create additional dressing rooms for larger casts of performers.

In the entry foyer large screens are used as information panels, and these can be used to create an interactive focus for small activity groups and specialist class presentations.