About us
Charcoalblue is widely regarded as the most exciting and innovative theatre, acoustic and digital consultancy in the UK. Since our foundation in 2004, we have grown to a team almost seventy including our associates. Charcoalblue is now the largest organisation of its kind working in the UK with studios in London, Bristol, Glasgow as well as studios in New York and Melbourne.
As the theatre and acoustical consultants of choice for many of the world’s leading architects and theatre companies, our portfolio ranges from world-famous companies like the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre, Royal Opera House and Glyndebourne Festival Opera, to cutting-edge outfits such as Siobhan Davies Dance, St. Ann’s Warehouse and Steppenwolf Theatre Company. We are also currently working with highly esteemed educational institutions such as LAMDA, Oberlin College, the Pratt Institute and with digital clients such as Google.
Our unique collaborative approach and relentless attention to detail has won us awards, ecstatic reviews from the theatrical and architectural press and, most importantly, praise from our theatres' performers, technicians and audiences.
Despite our growth, we remain grounded in theatre practice and performance, and are still driven by a passion for all types of performing arts projects, big or small, new-build or refurbishment. Charcoalblue provides detailed design guidance on all aspects of theatre, performance and arts projects, and we will tackle anything from a concert hall to a community center, a gallery to a multi-media suite.
Our scope of service can range from preparing the initial feasibility study and assessing user needs and aspirations of the wider community, to the detailed design of a theatre auditorium or the technical fitting out of a stage-house. We can follow through from developing the correct functional relationships of a building, to the detailed design of all aspects of its public, technical and service areas, as well of course as the auditorium itself.
Where appropriate, we will design specialist systems and equipment, tailoring them to specific requirements, including bespoke seat design, stage engineering, stagelighting and audiovisual systems. Our team has an in-depth knowledge of the most recent and relevant health and safety standards and accessibility guidelines for both design and operation.
We offer integrated theatre consultancy, acoustic and digital design scopes - we believe this approach represents great value for money - and many of our clients agree! Aside from this obvious advantage, one of the other benefits of this service is that we are able to find bespoke solutions to both sets of challenges in a seamless way and under one roof, providing knowledgeable and thorough guidance in all aspects of building acoustics, room acoustics design and noise control, alongside our theatre consultancy offering.
We have a wealth of experience in adapting and making the most of existing buildings, as well as creating entirely new ones. No project is too small and no vision too broad for us to be confident that we can add great cultural value.