Bath’s Theatre Royal is one of the oldest working theatres in the UK and lies at the heart of this World Heritage City. Its most recent incarnation by George Dance in 1805 inhabits the original shell of Beau Nash’s Palace of 1721 and the auditorium has been expanded, remodelled and re-built through nearly 200 years of continuous operation.

In 2010 the theatre’s trust appointed FCBStudios to identify and carry out major refurbishment and upgrading to ensure the Grade II* listed building is fit for modern standards of public performance. This involved careful interventions to expand the foyer, introduce a new Stalls bar in one of the original vaults, carry out conservation cleaning to the auditorium and improve lighting and services to reduce energy consumption and improve access.

The design of our interventions evolved from close analysis of the materials, decoration and structure of the existing building to produce contemporary layers which echo the neo-classical scheme but at the same time express a modern language of materials congruent with a 21st century theatre.

Client: Bath Theatre Royal

Construction value: £2,350,000

Completion: September 2010

BCIA Judges said: “The Theatre Royal is one of the most prestigious neo-classical buildings in central Bath but many of its internal spaces required updating. The team worked closely with building control throughout to complete the project on time and budget – which was critical as a new season was set to open.”