Bamberg: E.T.A. Hoffmann Theatre

The Project: Renewal of the Stage technical Equipment

The E.T.A. Hoffmann is located in the historic centre of Bamberg and is surrounded by streets and squares. After an overall renovation of the building, the theatre now presents itself as a transparent building with new foyer spaces, a restructured configuration of the technical spaces, a new studio and new audiences. Because of the historic reconstruction works and a fire in the audience, the project took more than three years. The theatre was reopened in October 2003. Gerling and Arendt were responsible for the design and realisation of the stage technical equipment.

Essentially, the renovation implied a complete renewal of the stage technical installations. The existing stage tower was dismantled and replaced by a new one. Up to that time, the theatre had worked with manual flies and a fix stage floor without lifting devices.
The concept of the installation was elaborated in close collaboration with the architect and the representatives of the client and the theatre. The fixed budget did not always allow the realisation of the optimum, but thanks to a future oriented planning, the degree of automation can be improved later.

History
The project
Stage technology
Stage lighting
Audio video installation