Vaudeville Theatre

An Iconic Venue

The Vaudeville Theatre was built back in 1870 by CJ Phipps and today enjoys grade II listed building status. Opening with a seated capacity upwards of 1,100 the auditorium had four levels which were laid out in a horseshoe style. Nearly 150 years on the Vaudeville theatre is still going strong, and is now under the ownership of Nimax Theatres Limited. 

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After years of heavy use, the theatre seating was more than ready for an update. In this iconic West End location it was vital to maintain the classic feel. It was also important to bring the comfort levels in line with today’s expectations. Audise were delighted to be selected to undertake the replacement.

Still very much in line with the vision of Sir Peter Saunders in 1970. The theatre now has a seated capacity of a little under 700. He commissioned celebrated stage designer Peter Rice to oversee the development. Even back then there was concern regarding views from the stalls area. Seats were supplied with variable widths to address the problem and keep the ends of rows in line. Over 47 years later Audise were required to replicate the exact layout to maintain these wonderful sight lines.

After an exhaustive sample process Nimax settled on a customised version of the Bristol Theatre Chair. A luxuriously upholstered seat complimented by a polished show wood timber top rail, arms outside back and under seat bottom. The traditional look is off set by the modern construction of the chair. All parts are connected using T nuts, so they can be quickly and easily replaced. Perhaps most importantly, the tip-up mechanism of the seat is designed to completely illuminate the risk of finger traps. 

In partnership with the theatre and the other contractors on site, Audise were subject to tight deadlines. Phased deliveries were planned “just in time” as not to use up what little storage space the theatre had. Working deep into the weekend and late at night we were delighted to hand over on time and importantly on budget. 

We believe the seating speaks for itself. Please browse the completed images of the theatre wonderfully captured by Dennis Davis photography.