Wolverhampton Grand
Wolverhampton, UK1200 seats
About the Theatre
Wolverhampton’s Grand Theatre first opened its doors in 1894 and remains one of the city’s finest buildings. Having witnessed such stars as Charlie Chaplin, Marlene Dietrich and Sir Ian McKellan, the Grade II listed auditorium has survived the booms and busts in theatre audiences, and still retained all its glorious Victorian charm.
The latest refurbishment of the theatre has seen a raft of improvements including a complete redesign of the ground floor and glitzy refits of the bars. The elegant re-seating of the auditorium itself completes the transformation.
The Seating Specification
Audience Systems worked with the theatre and Wolverhampton City Council to specify elegant but practical seating throughout. The recently developed Icon chair fits the bill perfectly. Full length, ergonomically contoured backrests would make an immediate impact with theatre-goers, while Icon’s whisper-smooth pivot would reduce unwanted noise in the auditorium. The classic, unfussy design with its traditional timber accents was chosen not only to look good, but also to reduce hiding places for litter and dirt.
As ever with traditional buildings, there were some quirks to accommodate in the design. Some chairs were specially adapted to fit some of the tighter areas of the auditorium or to provide good lines of sight even at the rear of the Grand Circle.
With a press opening and Gala night booked to mark the re-opening, the schedule for installation was tight, but Audience Systems achieved the deadline.
What Our Customers Said
The response to the installation has been overwhelmingly positive.
Chris Moore, Associate Director – Operations at the Theatre said: "We are all delighted with the new seating and we have received lots of positive feedback from customers. The seats are comfortable, and as well as meeting modern standards and expectations they complement the age of our Victorian auditorium. Throughout the whole process, Audience Systems have worked tirelessly to achieve our deadline and we are extremely pleased with their workmanship and professionalism."
Neil Elsmore from main contractors Speller Metcalfe said: “On behalf of the site management team and management of Speller Metcalfe, we would like to extend our thanks to all who have been involved with this project in making it the success that it has turned out to be. The amount of work and the quality of the finishes is beyond comprehension in the six weeks afforded to us to complete this project. Without the assistance of you and your staff this project would not have been anywhere near as successful as it has been.”
It seems theatre goers have also been impressed!
