Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2020 - 40

Effectively Multi-Purpose

A multi-purpose hall at that time was
inevitably a compromise that could not
fully satisfy either those who wanted to
present symphony concerts or the needs
of opera/ballet performances. Maekawa
and his design team decided to focus
on theatre, opera, and ballet uses and
to introduce sound reflectors above and
around the stage to modify the acoustics for unamplified music, symphony,
and other classical music. To ensure
the best acoustic performance, however,
the sound reflectors need to be heavy to
properly reflect frequencies in as wide
a range as possible from low to highpitched sounds. These heavy reflectors
and other devices had to be easy to deploy and remove. The orchestra pit is on
an elevator that can be raised to stage
level for concerts extending the stage/
platform forward into the room for music performances. Sound reflectors are
hung overhead in in the fly tower above
the stage. A series of panels behind the
musicians are stored in the rear stage
area while the side acoustic reflectors
are lowered below the stage into the trap
room area.
The need for many heavy acoustic reflectors frequently clashes with the need

40 | THEATRE DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY | FALL 2020

for an unobstructed fly tower and stage
for theatrical performances. At TBK the
reflectors were originally stored in the
three ways described but in 1998 the
reflectors were redesigned to be stored
under the stage, and the stage rigging
system was completely renewed.
Issues regarding sound reflectors vs.
stage rigging that are found in multi-purpose halls have continued to challenge
architects and design teams not only in
Japan but elsewhere. In a sense, however,
the theatre engineering unique to Japan
was developed to manage these challenges. How best to arrange and store
sound reflectors has been studied and
developed following the plans for TBK,
and these days, many varied options are
available.
Tokyo Bunka Kaikan has been presenting domestic and foreign opera, ballet, and orchestra performances for more
than 50 years. At the time it was designed
and constructed, there was limited experience or knowledge of such buildings
and the architect and design team had
to pursue innovative ideas to achieve a
successful building. Although there are
inevitably compromises, TBK remains a
significant performing arts building for
Tokyo and Japan.

TBK has contributed to the design
and planning of subsequent buildings
planned by both private companies and
local governments, including Suntory
Hall (1986) and New National Theatre,
Tokyo (1997). From the viewpoint of the
theatrical construction, the hall was valuable as a building to be imitated with concepts that were developed and improved
in subsequent buildings.
Shozo Motosugi is Emeritus
Prof. Dr. of Nihon University,
Tokyo. He studied at the Free
University of Berlin, Institute
of Theatre Studies, and
researched at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and the
Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz. Motosugi has
served as a juror for architectural competitions
and has designed many cultural facilities in
collaboration with various architects, including
the New National Theatre in Japan, Nara
Centennial Hall in Japan, Matsumoto
Performing Arts Centre in Japan, Kunstlinie
Almere Flevoland in The Netherlands,
Taichung Metropolitan Opera in Taiwan, and
Suzhou Shishan Art Theater in China. Reach
him at: motosugi.shozo@gmail.com or at
motosugi.shozo@nihon-u.ac.

http://iweiss.com

Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2020