Acoustic design of the Rose Theatre Brampton

Abstract

The Rose Theatre, Brampton is a community theatre of 930 seats intended for most types of performances including drama, musical theatre, road shows and the Brampton Symphony The theatre breaks convention by locating the Mix booth at the centre of the orchestra thus putting the Mixer out where he can hear what the audiences hears. The house is horseshoe-shaped and features one balcony, tiered seating, a full 45ft width (13.7m) Broadway style proscenium opening, an orchestra pit on a lift and a full catwalk level above the balcony. The deep Proscenium was used to direct energy from stage in the apron area as lateral reflections to seating. Variable acoustics were accomplished with curtains which retract into pockets which when extended cover the rear wall of the audience seating and the wall surface above the catwalk level. A MathCAD routine to calculate the strength and location of reflections from convex reflectors was used on the proscenium reflectors and five sets of linear ceiling reflectors. The HVAC system was designed for RC20. A novel test procedure was developed for checking the aiming of the reflectors where a light source was aimed at the acoustic reflectors. The reflected light, simulating a reflected sound wave, could then be seen illuminating a portion of the audience area indicating the aiming of the reflector. The background sound level and reverberation time measurements confirmed the background sound level of RC 20 and reverb time ranging from 1.1 to 1.5 sec. Measurements of uniformity of sound in the house showed a variation of +/- 2 dB throughout the dress circle and balcony seating. The Auditorium is described by both performers and patrons as very intimate.