The Fan-shaped Auditorium

Izenour calls Wagner’s theatre a "triumph of rational auditorium design over the Italian baroque tradition of proscenium theatre design" [Izenour, 1977, 75]. In fact, the Festspielhaus must still be considered a proscenium theatre for it has a framed stage with a double proscenium (note that in most of the literature the term used to describe the picture-frame is ‘proscenium arch’ or ‘proscenium’; however the word ‘proscenium’ is also used to designate the front stage of the classical theatre). On the other hand, the Bayreuth auditorium is indeed a rejection of the baroque horseshoe shaped auditorium. What it makes so special is the combination of an amphitheatrical seating area combined with a Romantic proscenium arch for the first time in the history of theatre architecture. The Renaissance theatre (for instance, the Teatro Olympico of Vicenza and of Sabbioneta) also adopted the classical auditorium, but that was before the development (or use) of the proscenium arch.

The semi-circular classical auditorium inspired Wagner but Brandt made it fan-shaped by cutting away all seats not within the 30˚ radius. It provided the most excellent sightlines ever seen before: the visibility of the stage was equally good from every single seat in the house. Moreover, spectators on the preceding rows did not disturb the view because the seats were placed on a steeply raked plane.

This fan-shape was already present in Semper’s design for the never built Munich Festival Theatre. Semper, however, did not find a satisfactory solution for the problem of the remaining space at both sides of the amphitheatrical auditorium inserted in a quadrangular space. For the Munich Festival Theatre design and the Glass Palace project, he proposed angled parallel walls with arched doorways in imitation of a classical edifice, thus inducing a heavy architectural impact onto the room.

Brandt, on the other hand, found an ingenious solution to the problem in his arrangement of the Festspielhaus auditorium. He cut away all seats out of the 30˚ radius and inserted six receding lateral walls in a straight angle to the side walls. In effect, he created a visual extension of the triple proscenium because the lateral walls looked like six receding proscenia. The rhythmical arrangement created a great visual unity between stage and auditorium. At the same time, it did away with the problem of the surplus space in a very elegant manner. Entrance doors to the seating area were inserted between the side walls, the wings hiding the doorways and thus creating a greater sense of intimacy in the auditorium.

Moreover, the walls created an optical effect of continuity throughout the auditorium and seem to lead the eye of the spectator almost automatically towards the stage. Brandt’s solution was instrumental in achieving one of Wagner’s desired effects: creating an environment that would stimulate the audience to focus attention to the performance, and nothing but the performance.

All this was part of the new function of this auditorium: not to accommodate social display, but to provide an optimal theatrical experience. In fact, the Bayreuth seating radius is nearly identical to that of the ancient Greek theatre of Epidaurus (around 340 BC). Wagner had often expressed his admiration for the ancient Greek theatre and clearly incorporated the Greek amphitheatrical design in the Bayreuth auditorium.

The auditorium is in fact a quadrangle of 35 metres by 35 meters. The fan-shaped seating-arrangement limited the original capacity to 1345 seats in the auditorium proper, with an additional 300 places in the two galleries. At maximum capacity, the Bayreuth Festspielhaus should hold an estimated 1787 spectators.

The original seats were of cane and wood and without armrests. They have been replaced in 1968 by bent wood chairs, still without armrests. In 1930, a balcony was inserted between the prince’s gallery and the artist’s gallery, to accommodate the press. In the 3D-model, the middle gallery is provided, reflecting the situation after 1930. However, the middle gallery does not belong to the original design (but neither does, for example, Ludwig’s annex).

The extra balcony, together with the 1968 refurbishing, increased the capacity of the house to 1925.

The auditorium was constructed within a wooden frame and remained the same until today with the exception of the wooden frame having been replaced by a steel one during the 1960’s renovation. The auditorium floors are of uncarpeted wood and the columns (of the Corinthian order) are hollow. A painted canvas was glued to the ceiling in imitation of what one thought to be an ancient Roman velarium (an awning used by the Romans to shield the audience from weather-conditions in the open-air theatres). Gotthold and Max Brückner, two of the theatre’s important stage designers, decorated it.

The wooden structure and the particular shape of the auditorium turned out to be great for the acoustics of the hall. Gasoliers illuminated the auditorium but during performances, the auditorium was darkened, a very unusual practice at the time. Wagner had seen it before, though. In the Riga Operahouse where he had worked at the beginning of his career, they used to dim the lights during performance.

The very sparse decoration of the room is remarkable especially when compared to the lavishly decorated auditoria of the time. The other Bayreuth theatre, the eighteenth-century Margrave’s Opera house, provides an astonishing contrast with its golden ornaments and rococo features. The absence of decoration is not entirely due to lack of money. Wagner didn’t want the wall ornamentation to distract the audience from the scenic illusion. It is only one of the elements that make the Bayreuth Festspielhaus a landmark in theatre history. For the first time an entire auditorium was designed with only the performance in mind.