Four Seasons Centre - R. Fraser Elliott Hall

R. Fraser Elliott Hall

The R. Fraser Elliott Hall has been given a lot of praise as one of the world’s best theatre spaces for a number of reasons. Diamond’s design amplifies the idea of being close to the music by keeping the audience in literal close proximity to the stage. Each of the 2,000 seats in the theatre has an unobstructed view of the performance stage, including the tiered balconies that start 27 metres from the stage (Collins, 2006). In fact, less than a quarter of the seats are farther than 30 metres from centre stage (Collins, 2006). Another important factor of any theatre is the acoustics; and acoustician Robert Essert, of Sound Space Design LTD, worked intently on not only the acoustics of the interior reaching every audience member equally, but also on blocking the noises and distractions from the Toronto cityscape (De Santis, 2008). “500 rubber and steel pads” (Church, 2008) remove specific sounds and vibrations from detection including traffic noise, the rumble from the adjacent subway line and streetcar line, and even the sirens of the emergency vehicles rushing to the nearby hospitals. The Al Merson of the Four Seasons Centre said that "for opera, it is critical to carry all the subtleties, with sounds totally transparent and appearing to originate exactly where the director wishes. The Meyer Sound system accomplishes just that while keeping discreetly out of sight." (Meyer Sound, 2007). The hall’s horseshoe shape was taken from European opera house design and other design elements were inspired by historic performance halls, including the Roman Amphitheatre ( ). The hall's interior decor was also inspired by acoustic design: hardwood floors to absorb sounds, and textured walls made from plastered gypsum to reflect sound (De Santis, 2008).