PLANS are moving ahead to create a world-class theatre complex in Manama after a series of delays and postponements appeared to threaten the project.
The BD20 million project, funded by His Majesty King Hamad and set alongside the sea near the National Museum, is expected to be completed in time for the Unesco's World Heritage Committee's annual meeting that will be held in the kingdom in June 2011.
The National Theatre of Bahrain was conceived more than six years ago by Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, now Culture and Information Minister of Bahrain.
The site once staged a 'village' and attracted thousands of visitors to an annual Heritage Festival which is to be relocated to the surroundings of genuine villages and historic homes in the kingdom, official say.
It has been bulldozed clear to make way for the construction of the new iconic cultural complex which will start next spring.
The Ministry of Information's strategic planning advisor, Manar Moh'd Sirriyeh, said that the theatre will be a landmark building that all citizens of the kingdom can look forward to with pride.
She said: 'The National Theatre is one of Shaikha Mai's dream projects. Her ambition is to accommodate and host international activities and big events in Bahrain.
'We don't have such a space now. Work is now on a very solid footing and we are at the stage of finalising key drawings. We are expecting to start work onsite by March-April next year.
'The architects have thought of it to be like a jewel ... there is a very nice foyer as you enter the building that reflects the modern-style architecture. The theatre will be built to international specifications and is designed to accommodate all activities that are related to music and theatre.
'It will be another landmark building in Bahrain.'
Discussions are taking place to hire an experienced manager for the theatre so that a trained Bahraini team can be ready and in place to make it operational from 2011.
The National Theatre of Bahrain has been designed by architects of the AS. Architecture Studio in Paris.
Architect Roue•da Ayache who has been working closely on the project said that the design of the National Theatre of Bahrain was inspired from the horizontal seascape of the kingdom.
She said that the architecture of the 10,370 sq/m National Theatre aims to complement harmoniously the site of the National Museum, thus setting a cohesive cultural district. She added: 'The main feature of the building is a stretched horizontal canopy from which emerges the main auditorium, as an island.
'The canopy is a woven aluminium structure that shades the building and its large apron overlooking the lagoon. The play of light and shadow created by the canopy echoes the glittering surface of the sea. The design of the canopy is very modern but in the same time inspired from the traditional woven ceilings that one can see in the beautiful heritage houses of Bahrain.
'The main auditorium is a focus point for the whole site: a golden shell that represents the inner world of the theatre. The golden shell is designed as a singular sculptured object, both mysterious and attractive.'
The National Theatre of Bahrain has been designed on modern lines and will seat 1,000 people. There will also be another multi-purpose theatre hall that will accommodate 300.
The stage is designed to accommodate all activities related to music and theatre including an orchestra of up to 60 musicians. All the audience seats are identical and the chairs in the front rows can be lowered to enlarge the stage.
The project is mainly designed as a theatre with variable acoustics. Acoustic devices will enable to turn it into a concert hall or an auditorium. Even the seating fabric on the planned comfortable armchairs will have an acoustic absorption role.
The design includes two green rooms as well as other facilities such as a big artists' foyer and artists' changing rooms.
The project is a team effort that has Atkins as the local consultants, project surveyors from the Ministry of Works special projects department and finally the construction company who are in the process of being contracted.
Architect Roue•da Ayache said that the location, next to the sea, has added to the concept of the design. She said: 'When we first visited Bahrain, just before starting the design of the National Theatre, we much appreciated the horizontal stretched landscape of the island, where the transition between earth and water is very smooth.
'It gave us an impression of great intimacy between the land and the sea. 'Bahrain', the two seas, the name of the kingdom sounds very poetic to us. We wanted the building to express the serenity of Bahrain's landscape where the sea and the land meet in a graceful harmony.
'The Bahrain National Theatre is designed to be at the meeting point between the land and the sea. The golden shell is anchored in the earth, while the light canopy is floating over the water.'
Describing what visitors can expect as they pass through the grand foyer and the architects vision for the ultimate visitor experience, Roue•da added: 'Shaded by the canopy, the grand foyer is a vast transparent volume that reveals the golden shell from outside and provides from inside a beautiful view of the lagoon and the sea.
'It is designed as a flexible space which could host several types of cultural events, for instance, temporary art installations.
'The grand foyer features the main auditorium golden shell where the visitor experiences the introverted world of the theatre that is focused on the stage. The main auditorium is designed internally as one continuous volume smoothly curved to provide ideal acoustics and stage vision.
'It integrates the two balconies and the ceiling in an organic shape that contrasts with the orthogonal geometry of the foyer and the rectangular horizontal canopy. The auditorium internal volume is made of wood, a warm and noble material, shaped and mounted as for a boat, reinterpreting in a modern expression, the Bahraini historical 'know how' in boat construction.'
Roue•da, originally from Beirut, is a partner at the Architecture-Studio that brings together a core of partners, architects, urban designers and interior designers in offices in Paris, Shanghai and Beijing.
The team of architects have been involved in realising several projects in Europe, China and Middle East such as the European Parliament of Strasbourg, France, Science and Technique Park in Chongqing, China and the King Abdullah Mosque in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
As for the former heritage festival which was staged on the site, the new theatre backers believe that the event can prosper by being relocated around genuine Bahraini villages and historic buildings.
Manar Moh'd Sirriyeh explained that the Heritage Village was 'fake' and was officially built as a 'one-off' attraction around 18 years ago. It then became the site of an annual event.
She said: 'It is a stage set up so we have not demolished anything historical. We don't want people to think that this was some kind of heritage of Bahrain. In fact, we want to introduce people to true traditional Bahraini villages.'
