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THE VERTICAL THEATRE: THE FUTURE OF VENUE TOURING? Conceived with social distancing in mind, The Vertical Theatre Group’s latest innovation is targeted at a live entertainment industry reeling from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. TPi’s Jacob Waite catches up with Stufish’s Ric Lipson and freelance Production Director, Jake Berry to discuss their collective vision.
At the turn of the year, The Vertical Theatre Group – a newly established collective of producers, creatives and technical specialists led by Stufish – revealed ambitious plans for a ‘future-proof’ live performance venue, aptly named The Vertical Theatre. Put forth as an ‘innovative and tourable’ solution, the freestanding venue is designed to guarantee the future of live entertainment, providing a much-needed boost to the sector and its workers. Founders, Stufish’s Ric Lipson and freelance Production Director, Jake Berry are optimistic enough about the venue, which allows for social distancing, to jump on a Zoom chat with TPi to discuss their collective vision. According to Lipson, one of the biggest challenges that venues face in the wake of the pandemic is the dated topography of the space. Historic, listed, concrete buildings, which play host to live entertainment, and were constructed pre-COVID-19, are ill-equipped to handle social distancing. One-way entrances, communal foyers, handrails, bars and queues are all
likely transmission zones for viruses. “As entertainment architects, we’re constantly examining ways to make buildings more functional,” he began. By using the technology of, say, a festival roof or a modern truss system, to hold up equipment, The Vertical Theatre plans to house 1,200 to 2,000 seats, socially distanced, in a modular and safe, open-air setting. “We came up with the idea that the top of The Vertical Theatre would be covered, and the sides open, to allow the flow of fresh air while also staying dry and maintaining the capacity to rig and suspend lighting, sound and video kit from the roof,” Lipson furthered. “Think of Shakespeare’s Globe or the Royal Opera House, mixed with the intimacy of the theatre and the rigging capacity of an arena, along with the physical space and surroundings of an outdoor amphitheatre.” In January, The Vertical Theatre Group previewed its vision for the space by revealing 3D drawings and an interactive video. “We modelled the design in a combination of AutoCAD and Rhinoceros 3D software. Some of the still 12
