This is a pathfinder for planners, designers, and builders of theatre facilities. The guide will assist you in finding great resources on how to plan and design a new theatre facility. If you need more help, our librarians welcome any questions you may have regarding your search.
Visit our Library
A great way to start your search is by visiting our library either in person or online. You can find a complete list of resources in our collection by accessing our online catalogue. To locate books particularly of interest to theatre planners, designers, and builders, use these suggested call numbers, keywords, and phrases to search the catalogue:
Call Numbers to Browse or Search in the Catalogue
To search the catalogue for Call Numbers, perform the following search:
- Click the Advanced tab in the blue menu bar
- Click the button beside Local Call Number
- In the search field, enter one of the suggested Call Numbers and click Search
Suggested Call Numbers:
- REF NA Designing and Building Theatres
- REF PN 2038 Theatre Technology and Design
Subject Headings to Search in the Catalogue
To search the catalogue for Subject Headings, perform the following search:
- Click the MultiSeek tab in the blue menu bar
- Change the first Keyword drop-down menu to Subject
- Type one of the suggested words and phrases in the search field and click Search
Suggested words and phrases:
- theatre architecture
- design and plans
- centers for the performing arts
You can also use the above subject heading(s) as Keywords. Just follow the procedure above but exchange Subject with Keyword in step 2. Your search results will be more extensive and inclusive; however, you may find some items in this type of search not directly related to your topic. Any title with your specified search word(s) in the description will appear among the search results.
Recommended Titles
The titles below have been previewed by us and selected for this topic. For additional information on a specific title, search our catalogue or the Internet:
- Building Type Basics for Performing Arts Facilities by Hugh Hardy, c2006
- An accessible guide to the essentials of designing performing arts facilities — including the underlying issues of financing, feasibility, and the diverse roles of the design and construction team, sponsor, banks, impresario, and manager. Complete with a wealth of descriptive floor plans, diagrams, photographs, and case studies, it features need-to-know information on design including such technical topics as lighting, acoustics, and materials.
- The Theatre Handbook by Alberta Culture Facility Development
- A facilities primer designed to provide a planning group of diverse interests and abilities with a common understanding of the principles of performing arts facility design, as well as a common language with which to converse. It represents an organized selection of existing theatrical knowledge pertaining to the construction of a new performing arts facility, offering expert advice and assisting in the understanding of design principles as they relate to a particular situation. It also provides enough technical and costing information to help a planning group make their major decisions early, in full view of the consequences, and while they still have control of the project.
Additional Online Resources and Selected Web sites
Continue your online search by looking for websites relating to theatre planning and design. Type theatre “design and plans” in your favourite search engine. Remember to put design and plans in quotation marks to ensure the three words appear side-by-side in your search results. A variation of this search could be to change the spelling of theatre to theater or substitute design and plans with architecture. Be creative!
The suggested website(s) listed on this page have been previewed by us and selected for this topic:
- Centre for Policy Studies on Culture and Communities
- The Centre for Policy Studies on Culture and Communities (CPCC) project is a cultural research and development centre based at Simon Fraser University’s Vancouver campus. It has been supported by Infrastructure Canada, the Department of Canadian Heritage, the City of Ottawa, and a range of other cultural stakeholders. Among the resources found on their website are Publications on Cultural Infrastructure and Development, Bibliographies on Cultural Infrastructure and Cultural Planning, and Cultural Facility Profiles.
- Municipal Development of Cultural Spaces: Illuminating the Contributions of Municipal Governments to the Development of Cultural Spaces by Artspace North Society, 2005 Part 1 & Part 2
- A review of established and emerging public galleries, studio theatres, and multi-use cultural spaces in communities across Canada. Contains 7 pages of valuable resources consulted to prepare the report.