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Wharves 4&5 theatre
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Theatres are places where magic is made. They are unique building types in that they mix the practical with the dreamlike.
At The Wharf, 60 or so enthusiasts work seriously and hard through the day so that at night 350 people can be artfully deceived - and pay for the privilege.
The former work like navvies for small financial reward at an art they love. That art is in the creation of illusion. The architect must, of course, provide an efficient machine in which this illusion is created - the workshops, paint rooms, wardrobe -making, laundries and dyeing rooms, rehearsal rooms, administration, etc.
All of these activities are hidden, and it is on the public side of the building that the architect must bring his skills to bear in assisting the theatre company to create its magic. Anticipation is a necessary part of the theatrical experience.
My role as architect was to create an atmosphere which would heighten that anticipation and expectancy as people negotiate their way from the street to the performance space.
Wharf 4/5 in Walsh Bay was built in 1914. It is by no means a 'fine' building, but is a robust, simple and practical answer to the problem of its day. When it was in full use, with ships alongside, loading gantries'
down its length and with its giant doors open, its solid beauty would have been apparent. In recent years however, it has sat closed and barren, presenting to the harbour a rather matchbox like face. What 1 have tried to do with its external skin is to bring the building back to its old ,doors open days. This opening up reveals the strength and elegance of the existing post and truss structure and overturns the domination of the weatherboard cladding. Inside, its sheer volume makes it impressive. The floor area totals 860Om2, or 1.5 football fields.
When originally Presented with the problem, 1 had to argue for the basic principle of whether or not the theatre should be at the street or 200 metres out into the harbour at the end of the wharf. It was an argument 1 wasnt prepared to lose, the Company might as well have been housed in the suburbs if full public use of this special site wasnt going to be made available. That argument won, the prospect of having theatregoers walk 200 metres down the building could not only be made to work, but used to heighten the sense of expectancy and anticipation which 1 mentioned earlier.
The building is entered through the old street cart dock entry, up a wide stair which rises close up under the old deck structure before breaking into the vast height of the upperdeck. On the way up, glimpses of harbour are given before the shock of the long, long gallery. The end is so far away that no detail can be seen; the direction, however, is certain because there is no alternative. This attenuated walk acts as a long conduit, and one's pace actually quickens down its length.
Near the end, the walk passes under a low mezzanine before opening out suddenly into the full building cross-section. The foyer and full harbour sweep has been reached. On that journey to the foyer, visitors have been, 1 hope, puzzled, beguiled and excited. From the foyer, 1 then deliberately turn the public on its heel, away from the view, and up another stair, through a low doorway into the isolated and cave-like performance space. It is now up to the Company to create its own illusions.
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