Belfast Lyric to be levelled for new theatre

19th June 2008

On the 19th June 2008 bulldozers and demolition workers moved in on the Belfast Lyric theatre in order to demolish it. A new-look multi-million pound Lyric, is scheduled to open for business on the same site at Ridgeway Street on the banks of the River Lagan in March 2010.

Belfast City Council granted planning permission for O’Donnell & Tuomey’s Lyric Theatre. The 4,300sq.m building will be clad in Belfast brick and will house a 400-seat theatre, a 150-seat studio and rehearsal space. It will cost £17.2 million.

The large auditorium is set back from the streetline so its backstage fly tower does not intrude on the roofline. The studio faces the street and features a picture window, allowing visual communication between passers-by and those working inside. The rehearsal space is above the foyer bar area overlooking the river and is secluded from public view so that actors can prepare for performances undisturbed. Each of the three spaces has individual roof forms to break down the building’s scale.

More information:
BBC News