Getting there is half the fun. Featuring a duo of interconnected theatres carved from two nesting volumes, this bold concept also engenders a series of stimulating in-between spaces. This sequence of “entering devices” encourages audience members to turn and pause, to shift their pace and orientation, as they make their way to their seats. For instance, a diagonal access on a triangular stair provides entry to the subterranean theatre and, through a peripheral window, a peek into the action on the way down. A small vestibule, meanwhile, provides an in-between space where people can chill before ascending to the stage in the round. These discrete dramatic gestures allow audience members to fully immerse themselves in the otherworldliness of taking in a play.

Project: Theatre in the Round and Theater in the Ground School: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA Team: Chen Chu, Jennifer Leung (prof.)