Case Study NCPA Mumbai (National Centre for the Performing Arts)

 

NCPA, Mumbai Location Plan

Sun Path Diagram

 

NCPA, Mumbai Location Plan Showing Wind Direction

NCPA, Mumbai Site Plan

Proscenium theatre equipped with modern stagecraft, excellent acoustics and sight-line suitable for productions of opera, ballet, musicals, and large-scale corporate shows. Centrally air-conditioned.

Capacity reduced in the following cases: Use of the orchestra pit Reduced by 91 seats.

Use of in-house sound mixer/monitor Reduced by 15 seats (variable).

Carpet color:- Maroon

House chandelier:-  Crystal, circular over row ‘J’

Entry/exit doors:- 8 with panic-bars; marked 1E to 3E,1W to 3W and 1S to 2S

Seats for the physically challenged:-   Row ‘A’ (at level 0 accessible  from the lower foyer) Row ‘Q’ (at level 1 accessible by an elevator at the foyer)

Stage entry From east & west foyer, 2 Nos. (Stage Right & Left)

Floor:- Hardwood timber flooring on MS framing (No traps, No revolve)

Size:-   (Behind house-curtain) :- 23.7m (w) x 14.6m (d)

Top-of-stage from auditorium level:-  1m

Whether it is dance, music, theatre or photography, the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) is a landmark in the business district of Nariman Point. It was the brainchild of entrepreneur JRD Tata and scientist Dr Jamshed Bhabha and opened its doors to the public in 1969. Boasting of five theatres and spread across 32,000 sqm (eight acres), it has been a platform for showcasing diverse performing arts.

We spoke to Deepa Gahlot, head of programming (theatre & film), NCPA and Nayan P Kale (general manager — technical) for some interesting facts about the NCPA.

 

• The seating at all the five theatres was arranged keeping in mind the acoustics and purpose of each auditorium (music, dance, plays, etc).

• The NCPA was built on land reclaimed from the sea.

• The Jamshed Bhabha Theatre boasts of a 100-year-old staircase in the foyer. Made of high-quality Carrara marble, it was shipped from Italy and originally belonged to the Petit Hall in Malabar Hill. When the hall was demolished 50 years ago, it was donated by the Petit family to the NCPA. It remained in NCPA’s warehouse for 40 years, after which it was re-assembled and added to the foyer.

• The NCPA has an extensive library of music and books. The Stuart-Liff library has 11,000 LPs and 6,000 books on opera and concerts. The NCPA library has an archival section that features 5,000 hours of audio recordings and 1,000 videotapes and studio recordings.

• The Tata Theatre boasts of a movable pipe organ (the only one in the city), which was fully restored in 2013 at a cost of Rs 22 lakh. It is mounted on a platform and stored backstage with the proper climate-controlled system.

• The Tata Theatre has an AC plant located in the basement (approximately 30-feet below sea level) to prevent the noisy machinery from interfering with acoustics.

• The Tata Theatre also has pyramid pop-up structures on the ceiling, which ensure that sound is evenly distributed and prevents hotspots (extremely high or low sound level) in the auditorium.

• The Little Theatre is attached to an audio studio where archiving of studio recordings were done.

• The musical auditoriums are designed in such a way that they require no additional amplification. Till the ‘90s, use of microphones was not allowed here.

• The auditorium doors are thick and filled with sand to prevent airborne noise from entering the hall.

• The Tata Theatre was designed by American architect Philip Johnson, renowned for his postmodern structures; and acoustician Cyril Harris, who has worked on prominent concert halls and auditoriums such as the Metropolitan Opera, USA.

• At the Jamshed Bhabha Theatre, every seat is optimal to view the performance. At the Experimental Theatre, opt for the center seats. At Tata Theatre, you can see clearly even from the last row.

Tata Theatre (Seating capacity: 1010Seats)

NCPA INTERIOR View

Godrej Dance Theatre

NCPA Godrej Dance Theatre PLAN

 

Little Theatre

(Seating capacity: 114 Seats)

Little Theatre floor plan