Auditorium

The auditorium

Dutch National Opera & Ballet is a proscenium theatre that can also be converted to an amphitheatre with raised orchestra pit and arena. There are two balconies. Owing to their semi-circular shape, the distance from the balcony seats to the stage is comparatively short.

The auditorium

Dutch National Opera & Ballet is a proscenium theatre that can also be converted to an amphitheatre with raised orchestra pit and arena. There are two balconies. Owing to their semi-circular shape, the distance from the balcony seats to the stage is comparatively short.

There are a total of 1,594 seats, not including the wheelchair places and the seating on the (raised) orchestra pit.

  • Arena (rows 1-3): 70 (removable)

  • Stalls (rows 4-18): 757

  • 1st balcony: 413

  • 2nd balcony: 356

  • Total: 1594

  • Weel chair places: 11

  • Orchestra pit places: 75

The lighting and sound control booths are situated at the back of the 1st balcony. A production desk for rehearsals can be placed at the centre of row 11. The sound mixer has a permanent position in row 17 at the back of the stalls, under the balcony. The surtitles projector is located and operated from a projection booth at the back of the 2nd balcony.

Ballerina's van boven

Stage

The theatre is used by different companies at the same time. This means that on any one day a production may be built, lit or rehearsed onstage and another production performed in the evening.

Stage

The theatre is used by different companies simultaneously. This means that on any one day a production may be built, lit or rehearsed onstage and another production performed in the evening.

Please note that the facilities mentioned below are not always available because they may already be in use for another production.

In addition to the main stage, the theatre has a large stage-right wing, and similarly-sized rear stage and assembly stage. This allows us to host more than one production at a time and to alternate performances between two or more productions. Soundproofing screens separate the main, side and rear stages and can be lowered or raised as necessary.

The main stage is equipped with five stage lifts, each measuring 16.20 m wide x 2.70 m deep. These can be raised, together or independently, to a maximum of 3.05 m, lowered to a maximum of 3.05 m and raked to a maximum of 10%.

A sprung floor is placed on the stage lifts for classical dance productions.

Sets can be moved by scenery wagons that have the same dimensions as the stage lifts. These can be sunk into the floors of the main and assembly stages so that the top of the wagon is level with the surrounding stage area. Horizontal movement of scenery is sometimes done by the use of AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles). These computer-controlled drives are built into the wagon floors and can, if desired, be built into specific pieces of scenery. Accurate and programmable positioning of this scenery is achieved by the use of lasers and reflectors.

The main stage has a comprehensive fly system comprising 92 electrically powered fly bars, 4 upstage-downstage bars, 3 bars above the forestage, 2 bars above the auditorium, 45 point hoists and 18 winches for a maximum load of 2,000 kilos each. The fly bars are specially constructed ladder trusses with a curtain rail integrated in the bottom pipe.

All stage machinery (except the AGVs) is controlled by a single computer system operated from mobile control desks.

House Curtain
The house curtain is red velvet and can be opened either as a traveller curtain (variable speed) or as a Wagner curtain. The operating console is located next to the curtain, stage left. There is an extra, violet-coloured traveller curtain just in front of the iron (fire) curtain.

Aids
The theatre has standard 'hard' (inflexible), black masking consisting of 8 legs (four pairs). These are aluminium truss frames stretched with black woollen fabric. Also available are 'soft' woollen black legs and borders, and various standard cloths and foils. Other aids include man-lifts, ladders and fork-lift trucks.

Loading & Unloadin
The entrance to the loading bay is next to the stage door at no. 22 Waterlooplein. The covered bay has room for 2 trailers side by side. The maximum trailer height is 4.00 m. The loading platforms are adjustable in height to a maximum of 1.26 m. The bay is not suitable for long-term parking. An electric forklift truck with a maximum capacity of 1,500 kg is available.

Downloads 

Measurements and specifications of the stage

A groundplan

A sectional drawing

Should you need a drawing in DWG format, please send an email to the addres below or phone +31 20 551 8094. tom-mt-tekenkamer@operaballet.nl

Lichten

Lighting

Dutch National Opera & Ballet is provided with a modern and largely automated lighting installation.

Lighting

The theatre has a modern and largely automated lighting installation.

In order to permit the use of the theatre by more than one company on the same day, a large number of the spotlights have been given fixed positions – called the rep(ertoire) setting - distributed over 4 auditorium bridges, 3 fixed proscenia, the 2 mobile portal towers, the mobile portal bridge, 4 mobile lighting bridges above the stage and various mobile panorama hanging ladders. This allows the entire stage to be lit in segments with 2 wash colours from 5 different angles. Additional lamps are rigged for each production.

The 4 mobile lighting bridges each comprise 7 bridge modules of 3 meters in length. These are hung in standard fly bars and are therefore movable up and downstage. Each bridge has a number of automated fixtures: 10 x LT 2kW yokes (for backlighting), 8 x ETC Revolution (pipe-end) and 3 x High End X-spot (top lighting, effect spots).

The automated cyclorama lighting consists of 42 asymmetrical fixtures, each equipped with a colour changer.

The theatre also has a number of spotlights that can be used for a particular production, e.g. 4kW HMI (automated) fresnels, 2.5kW HMI profile spots, Vari*Lite automated spotlights and assorted conventional spotlights. There are 4 HMI follow spots on the auditorium bridge and 4 on the portal bridge.

The lighting installation is controlled by a Transtechnik Prima NTX console. Data communication between consoles, dimmers and servers is achieved by means of an Ethernet network which can be accessed throughout the theatre.

PDF documents for download
Drawing of the repertoire lighting plot:

View the drawing of the repertoire lighting plot here.

 

Achter de schermen

Audio, video and communication

Dutch National Opera & Ballet has a sophisticated sound system for both auditorium and stage. The theatre is also equipped for large-screen video projection and various recordings can be made.

Audio, video and communication

Audio
The theatre has a sophisticated sound system for both auditorium and stage. There is a 5-channel Ambio system for special effects, with loudspeakers in the auditorium's ceiling and side walls. All audio settings can be stored digitally. The sound system can be operated from both the sound booth at the back of the 1st balcony and the auditorium. The theatre is also equipped with an electro-acoustic system.

You can find a drawing of the speaker positions here. 

Projection
DNO&B is equipped to realise large-screen video projection. An infrastructure for video and data is available at fixed points.

Video
The theatre can produce multicamera and multitrack recordings for CD, DVD and internet.

Communicatie
The stage manager's desk is situated stage left. A large number of functions can be operated from the desk, including a comprehensive call system for artists and technicians, separate intercom systems for lighting and stage crews, and a fully integrated system. Video screens show the stage, the infrared-lit stage and the conductor. The intercom system consists of more than 40 wireless belt packs with headsets on 7 different channels.

Orchestra pit
The orchestra floor consists of 3 lifts.
Area of centre lift: 60 m2
Stage right and stage left lifts each: 12.5 m2

The lifts can be lowered, together or independently, to a maximum depth of 3.67 m below stage level and raised to a maximum of 0.40 m. The area of the pit under the stage is approx. 65 m2. This area can be masked off with black wooden partitions that hang from the underlip of the stage. When in use by an orchestra, the pit is covered along its entire width by a safety net.

Kleedkamers

User facilities

Van kleedkamers tot artiestenfoyer. Lees hier alles over de verschillende gebruikersfaciliteiten van Nationale Opera & Ballet. 

User facilities

Kleedkamers
Op de begane grond zijn tien kleedkamers met douche, met in totaal 65 plaatsen. Er is een kamer voor kleedsters en een kap-grime kamer.
In de eerste kelder zijn zes kleedkamers zonder douche, met in totaal 81 plaatsen. Er zijn douches op de gang. Hier is eveneens een kamer voor kleedsters en een kap-grime kamer.
Er zijn voor gastgezelschappen geen aparte wasfasciliteiten beschikbaar.

Dirigentenkamer
In de eerste kelder is een dirigentenkleedkamer.

Productiekantoor
Een klein productiekantoor bevindt zich vlakbij het toneel. Op aanvraag kan hier een externe telefoonlijn aangesloten worden. Er is internetverbinding aanwezig maar geen wifi.

Artiestenfoyer
Er is een artiestenfoyer met lunch- en dinerfaciliteiten. De keuken is geopend van 12.00 tot 14.00 (lunch) en van 17.00 tot 19.30 (diner).
Ook zijn er op diverse plaatsen in het gebouw frisdrankautomaten.

Repetitieruimtes
De beschikbaarheid van repetitiestudio’s hangt af van de werkschema’s van de twee residerende gezelschappen. Eventueel gebruik van deze studio’s moet vooraf via de productieleider aangevraagd worden.