MIT Libraries homeDome

View from under the swooping cut-out roof, at the historic chicory mill next door, now a restaurant; The theater is set in the new cultural quarter named Schiffbauergasse with the Schinkelhalle; it faces the Tiefer See lake in an echo of the Sydney Opera House, on a smaller scale. The five-story theater building has three bowl-shaped, cantilevered roofs. Concrete, glass and steel are the predominant materials. An historically listed Gasometer (an originally pressurized gas storage tank) was integrated into the building. On the lake side adjacent to the theater there is also an historically listed former chicory mill; today it houses a restaurant. The upper foyer and hall have windows that allow a view across the lake to the Schlosspark Babelsberg, but for theater performances the interior can be darkened completely. The hall can accommodate up to 485 spectators. Among the rows of seats rising platforms are arranged which can be flexibly lowered and raised, changing the audience space. The back of the proscenium stage can be opened to the rounded interior of the Gasometer. An orchestra pit allows music theater performances. Source: Wikipedia; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page (accessed 7/25/2014)