Badminton Theater

The Badminton Theater (Greek: Θέατρο Badminton) is a venue utilized for the staging of medium- and large-scale multiplex events. Situated inside the metropolitan park of Goudi in Athens, Greece, the theater was originally designed to host concerts, plays, dance performances and musicals. As of 2012, conferences, meetings, presentations and corporate events are also held at the venue due to the construction of additional facilities.[1]

Badminton Theater
The auditorium in May 2009
Former namesGoudi Olympic Hall (2004)
LocationGoudi, Athens, Greece
Coordinates37.9861°N 23.7747°E / 37.9861; 23.7747
OwnerABCD
Capacity
  • 8,000 (Olympics)
  • 2,430 (theatre)
Construction
Built2004 (as Olympic venue)
Opened2007 (2007)
Renovated2006–2007
Website
Official website

History and architectural transformation
Pre-Transformation

The venue was initially built as part of Goudi Olympic Complex and used for the sport of Badminton during the 2004 Olympic Games, opening immediately before the games.[2] As the venue became further established, the facility was made available for leasing,[3][4][5] with the management utilizing a public tender process, and "Athens Badminton Cultural Development S.A." (ABCD) outbid. ABCD acquired the premises for a 20-year timeframe, and subsequently embarked on radical reform and development of the property.

Reconstruction

The building was eventually converted into a versatile facility, suitable for medium- and large-scale events.[6] The remodeling work began in the summer of 2006 and was completed in 2007, with investment exceeding 16 million euros. The post-industrial style of the exterior and the venue's large open spaces were the only things that remained intact. The interior was entirely rebuilt to create a modern auditorium, capable of seating 2,430 people, surrounded by foyers and halls.

The Badminton Theater has been used in several major international theater, dance and television productions and conferences.

  • Phase 1
    Phase 1
  • Phase 2
    Phase 2
  • Phase 3
    Phase 3

The Theater
Badminton Theater Auditorium

The main areas of Badminton Theater are:

The Auditorium
Amphitheater of Badminton

The Badminton Theater Auditorium is the largest of its kind in Greece. The stage is 30-meter wide, with a depth of 18 meters, while the ceiling height is 15.5 meters, and is equipped with a programming console (Vatalpha Type) that is capable of changing the scenery appearance in a matter of seconds. For conferences and corporate events, the stage accommodates panels of speakers and presentations, with a central podium also available to guests. The image viewer can also be used to convert the scene into a viewing area. High quality projectors are employed for the lighting of the area; lighting equipment includes 200-inch dimmers, a "Congo ETC" lighting console, and five LED panels for displays and the projection of subtitles.

The ergonomic design of the theater provides unobstructed visibility and, for events that require a greater immediacy for a smaller audience, a mobile partition can be employed.

The acoustics of the venue are capable of an average reverberation time of less than 1.1 seconds audio in the room is evenly distributed to within ± 2 decibels (db) from point-to-point and the central console is a digital 96-channel "MIDAS XL 8".[7] The acoustic design of the theater was completed by Theodore Timagenis, an acoustic design consultancy firm founded in 1975.[8]

The Foyer
Foyer.
Lower Tier.

The foyer consists of two multi-use areas that collectively occupy more than 1,500 square meters (sq. m.) of space.

The Upper Foyer, the main reception area for visitors, consists of banners with an internal lighting mechanism and flat screens for the viewing of video material. The Upper Foyer also overlooks Army Park and is illuminated by natural lighting. This main reception area is connected to the lower level by two open stairwells and an elevator. The Lower Foyer connects with the lower tier of the amphitheater and consists of allocated smoking rooms.

The Hallway
Hallway.

The Hallway is the main reception area for visitors. The most common uses for the receipt of tickets, registering participants and screened. In this area there are 8 service counters, hung flat screen TFT panels and illuminated system (banners), buffer flow control for the increased attendance and lift for the disabled. In March 2012, Badminton Theater implemented an electronic barcode check-in system.

Additional Support Infrastructure

Apart from the aforementioned areas, Badminton Theater features additional infrastructure, serving the diverse needs of individual events, including:

  • Administration offices
  • Backstage Space
  • Dressing Rooms
  • Rehearsal Room
  • Technical Amphitheater
  • Green Room
  • Meeting Hall (maximum capacity: 300 people)
  • Press Room (70 people)
  • Large storage areas
  • Badminton Theater Dressing Room
    Badminton Theater Dressing Room
  • Badminton Theater Lift
    Badminton Theater Lift
  • Badminton Theater Press Room
    Badminton Theater Press Room
  • Badminton Theater Rehearsal Room
    Badminton Theater Rehearsal Room
  • Badminton Theater Booth
    Badminton Theater Booth

Access

The Badminton Theater is located inside the area of the metropolitan park of Goudi, at the junction of Mesogeion and Katechaki/Kanelopoulou Avenues (Goudi area), with easy access from "Katehaki" Metro station (Line 3) and bus lines.[9][10]

The outdoor space around the complex can host more than 800 vehicles, or more than 70 buses, through the entrances from Mesogeion Avenue (Former Police Academy) and Katechaki/Kanellopoulou Avenue.

Events

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012
  • Harlem Swing's Ain't Misbehavin': 17 – 22 January 2012
  • Bollywood Show: 23 January 2012
  • 3rd World Magic Festival: 8 – 12 February 2012
  • ΑΒΒΑmania: 17 – 18 February 2012
  • Searching for Attik
  • Tin City (By Eugenia Fakinou): 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25 & 31 March & 1 April 2012
  • Manolis Rasoulis - Crack in time: 19 March 2012
  • 1821 - Songs of the Revolutionary Greeks: 26 March 2012
  • Actors singing Mikis Theodorakis: 27 March 2012
  • A Tribute to Eptanisian Music: 2 April 2012
  • Michael Soyoul - From the keys of Bandoneón to the strings of Bouzouki: 14 May 2012
  • "Angela Papazoglou" with Anna Vagena: 20 May 2012
  • Béjart Ballet Lausanne / BOLERO - DIONYSOS - SYNCOPE: 6–10 June 2012
  • Euripides - Iphigenia at Aulis: Summer 2012
  • Fuerza Bruta Look Up!: September 2012
  • Sleeping Beauty - GRIGOROVICH BALLET THEATRE: 11–16 October 2012
  • Ballet Flamenco de Andalucía: 3–4 November 2012
  • At the Markets of Manos Hatzidakis: 9 November 2012
  • Kostas Virvos - I do not live kneeling": 12 November 2012
  • La Traviata - Stanislavsky Theatre: 22–24 November 2012
  • Gustavo Russo - Tango Seduccion!: 28 November 2012
  • The Wiener Johann Strauss Capelle: 1–2 December 2012
  • Iakovos Kambanelis - Mauthausen: 6–9 December 2012
  • Flying Superkids: 14–16 December 2012
  • Splendid - China National Acrobatic Troupe: December 2012
  • Mauthausen, a theatrical play based on the "Mauthausen Trilogy", premiered 6 December 2012

References
  1. "Athens Convention Bureau".
  2. "Official Report of the XXVIII Olympiad, Volume 2" (PDF). p. 265. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 August 2008. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  3. Staff (2012). "The Theater". Badminton Theater. Badminton. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
  4. Kissoudi, Penelope (2010). "Kissoudi, P. 2010. Athens' Post-Olympic Aspirations and the Extent of their Realization". The International Journal of the History of Sport. 27 (16–18): 2780–2797. doi:10.1080/09523367.2010.508269.
  5. Boukas, Nikolaos; Ziakas, Vassilios; Boustras, Georgios (2012). "Boukas, N. Ziakas, V. and Boustras, G. 2011. Towards reviving post-Olympic Athens as a cultural destination" (PDF). Current Issues in Tourism. 15: 89–105. doi:10.1080/13683500.2011.634897.
  6. Tatsiopoulos, Ilias & Tziralis, Georgios (2008). "New, Post-Olympic Athens" (PDF). National Technical University of Athens. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 June 2015. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
  7. "d&b in Athens for state of the art Badminton Theatre". Archived from the original on 2012-04-24.
  8. Staff (2012). "Building for the performing arts". Timagenis, Architects – Acoustics Design Consultants. Theodore Timagenis, Architects – Acoustics Design Consultants. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
  9. "Athens Metro Lines". Archived from the original on 2013-02-17.
  10. "Athens Urban Transport Lines".
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