Backstage at The Old Vic, UK

BDP lighting worked with Haworth Tompkins to complete Backstage at The Old Vic, a major new extension to one of London’s most treasured and historic theatres. Designed as a vibrant civic space and an exemplar of sustainable and inclusive architecture, Backstage marks the beginning of the next chapter in the 200-year story of this iconic cultural landmark.

Haworth Tompkins approach us directly to support the development of the façade lighting. Inspired by reclaimed barn doors from the theatre, a 3-dimensional brise soleil was being developed to the glazed southwest façade. Our scheme creates a beautifully lit installation from a bespoke cartridge with integrated lighting. These have been fitted to a carefully curated selection of barn doors to give the right balance and effect across the building.

We immediately started exploring opportunities with mock ups looking at integration. This is one of the most unique things about this project; from the very beginning this project was developed by testing, sampling, mock-ups and practical design. Pen was only really put to paper when it came to technical production drawings. Our lead designer began with simple, 1:1 desk top testing before moving to rough mock-ups in his own garage. This was invaluable to understand the lit effect on the barn door faces; any options that were too literal or blocked views in or out were discounted.

Inspired by Haworth Tompkins work with mesh materiality, brought this element into the design as a nod towards vintage theatre light grills. We then tested multiple meshes to find the right opacity, colour and specularity. Linear LED strips were integrated into the bottom of the cassette frame as this gave the right balance of brightness. We were also extremely keen to preserve views from within Backstage; the view of the installation, both day and night, for the visitors inside was of equal importance as the views from the street. The cable routes were also carefully considered to ensure nothing was visible.

After the small-scale development process and the client feedback, we moved into full scale prototyping. This involved factory visits, client, and stakeholder reviews to refine the cassette. A dry-run build of the full decade with the cassettes installed was done off-site to iron out final teething issues and ensure an efficient install. The final installation took a week; a testament to the efficiency of this process.

We were extremely sensitive with lighting control. We worked closely with The Old Vic’s in-house team to develop a DMX based system, with content inspired by live musical performances. A simple but considered randomised fade to each luminaire worked very effectively. A concentration towards the bottom of the façade further helped to preserve views from the upper floors.

Our scope also included internal enhancements, introducing simple and cost-effective lighting details which had a big impact to the quality of the bar and lounge spaces. We worked collaboratively with the electrical designers Skelly & Couch to deliver a beautiful space that allows the Client to elevate their offering to theatregoers.