Milton Keynes Theatre is a large theatre in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. It opened on 4 October 1999, 25 years after the campaign for a new theatre first started.[1]

Milton Keynes Theatre
Map
AddressMarlborough Gate
Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire
England
Coordinates52°02′39″N 0°44′56″W / 52.0441°N 0.7488°W / 52.0441; -0.7488
OwnerAmbassador Theatre Group
Capacity900 – 1,400
ProductionTouring productions
Construction
Opened1999
ArchitectBlonski-Heard with Kut Nadiadi & Robert Doe
Website
Milton Keynes Theatre website at Ambassador Theatre Group

Designed by architects Blonski-Heard with Kut Nadiadi and Robert Doe, the theatre design employed the latest building techniques, using some of the most technically advanced equipment available.[2][3]

The auditorium has been designed to accommodate various shows: the ceiling can be lowered or raised depending on the scale of the production. The seating can also be moved around within the auditorium to vary the capacity from between 900 and 1,400. Consequently, the theatre accommodates a wide range of productions, from large-scale musicals, to smaller, more intimate drama.

The acoustic designers, Arup Acoustics, used a 1:50 scale acoustic model to determine the effect of the moving ceiling on the acoustic.[4][5]

The programme includes a variety of large and small West End productions and a Christmas pantomime, touring opera and ballet, as well as touring drama.

The theatre is managed and operated by the Ambassador Theatre Group. ATG were appointed as theatre operator in 1998, before the theatre opened.[6]

References

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  1. ^ "Milton Keynes Theatre Overview". Ambassador Theatre Group. Archived from the original on 22 November 2014.
  2. ^ Blonski Heard creates Milton Keynes theatre – Design Week, 11 December 1998
  3. ^ Milton Keynes Theatre & Art Gallery Complex – Architects' Journal Building Library. Includes photographs, drawings and working details
  4. ^ Interview with Raf orlovski with the acoustic model of Milton Keynes theatre. Followed by internal and external construction shots. – Living Archive, Milton Keynes (film)
  5. ^ Barron, Michael (28 September 2009). Auditorium Acoustics and Architectural Design. Spon Press. ISBN 9780419245100.
  6. ^ "Cultural Planning Toolkit: A Review of Resources", Cities Institute, 2007. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
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