Assemble

Theatre On The Fly

Theatre On The Fly
via Assemble

THEATRE ON THE FLY

Assemble

ARCHITECTS
Assemble

YEAR 
2012

CATAGORY
Theater, Temporary Installations

LOCATION
United Kingdom

Text description provided by architect.

Assemble designed and built an experimental temporary venue for a season of new plays at Chichester Festival Theatre, in the open parkland surrounding Powell & Moya’s Grade II listed Chichester Festival Theatre.

Theatre On The Fly
via Assemble
Theatre On The Fly
via Assemble

It was commissioned by the theatre as part of their 50th anniversary celebrations, and hosted a full season based around three new plays, one by each of the theatre’s apprentice directors.

Neither an indoor nor an outdoor theatre, Theatre on the Fly provided a space capable of both intimate performances and wide dramatic productions that extended into the surrounding parkland.

Theatre On The Fly
via Assemble
Theatre On The Fly
via Assemble

The design of the theatre was inspired by the machinery of the flytower, a theatrical device used for the hoisting and lowering of objects and scenery onto a theatre’s stage during a performance.

Theatre on the Fly exposed these mechanisms which are normally hidden from view, giving the building an active role in each performance.

Theatre On The Fly
via Assemble
Theatre On The Fly

Throughout the development process Assemble worked with Chichester’s Youth Theatre in a series of three weekend workshops which explored theatrical spaces around the world.

Built by a group of volunteers whose ages ranged from 16 to 68, the design used accessible processes and economic materials to maximise the involvement of the theatre’s many supporters and create a generous space within a tight budget.

Theatre On The Fly
via Assemble
Theatre On The Fly
via Assemble
Theatre On The Fly
via Assemble


Theatre On The Fly
via Assemble
Theatre On The Fly
via Assemble


Theatre On The Fly
Section
Theatre On The Fly
Section
Theatre On The Fly
Section
Theatre On The Fly
Section
Theatre On The Fly
Section
Theatre On The Fly
Section


Theatre On The Fly
Floor Plan

Assemble
T +44 20 72370000
Assemble
30 Hancock Rd, London E3 3DA, United Kingdom