NATIONAL CENTRE FOR PERFORMING ARTS – MUMBAI INTRODUCTION Inaugurated in 1969, the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai, is the premiere centre of the Performing Arts in India, with five vibrant theatres, making it the largest institution of its kind in our region. The first of its kind, to be built in South Asia, it has been committed since its inception to promoting and preserving the country’s rich and vibrant traditions in music, dance and theatre, as well as catalyzing new and innovative work in the field of the performing arts. The vision was to develop a platform for the promotion of great Indian and International Culture by providing facilities that live up to international standards. Occupying an area of over eight acres, the NCPA houses a unique mega-complex, with host of venues and facilities. In addition to the performing spaces of varying sizes, the NCPA provides a range of resources for furthering of our understanding of culture; they have research facilities for the study of music and have created an archive of recordings of some of the greatest Indian artists of the past 40 years or so. With five modern theatres, a photography gallery and extensive archival and library facilities located in the heart of Mumbai’s downtown business district, the NCPA presents more than 500 events each year across all major art forms. It is recognised by artists, patrons and the media alike to be among Asia's foremost venues for performing arts. Already 5000 hours of priceless recordings have been stored in excellent conditions at the NCPA recording vaults. These are available of public audition on site, but they are also currently in the process of bringing them to the attention of a wider international public. Although India lacks a tradition of orchestral training, NCPA are building our indigenous instrumental resources by way of an in-house training programme, with professional teachers working with selected Indian musicians who eventually play in the Symphony Orchestra of India. “I would like to introduce a young generation of Indians to the wonders of art in all its forms. Several initiatives have been taken in this sphere to make music and art much more accessible to the younger members of our community.” – Mr. Khushroo N.Suntook (Chairman NCPA) LOCATION The architectural space NCPA has been conceived as a social, political and cultural centre and is located in the very center of Mumbai’s downtown business district, Nariman Point. The NCPA houses an impressive complex of structures, modern facilities and outside spaces suitable for all locations. It is a landmark for the people who live here and exceeded expectations, becoming one of the main performance centres in India. It is the true generator of all cultural activity in this Indian city. NCPA is easily accessible by the residents of Cuffe Parade, Marine Drive, Colaba or other high profile areas of South Mumbai. The centre is well connected by a road network to the city, and can also be accessed by local transport via taxis, buses and local trains. The closest stations are Church Gate and Chattrapati Shivaji Terminal (CST).
The site is bound by roads on three sides – Sir Dorabji Tata Road, Vinay Shah Road and NCPA Marg; facing Marine Drive, Oberoi Hotel and Hoechst House & Arcadia respectively. The forth side facing the Cuffe Parade. The roads surrounding the buildings have low densities of traffic during the day and moderate densities of traffic during the evening. NCPA is the last building at Nariman Point; hence you do not have any vehicles going ahead of the building. ENTRY SEQUENCE NCPA has entries and exits from the Vinay Shah Road (1), Sir Dorabji Tata Road (2 + 3) and NCPA Marg (4 + 5 + 6). Multiple accessibility routes help distribute the traffic evenly from the outer roads as well as the traffic within. Each of these gates are made use of based on the respective Theatre or function being used; Gate 2 and 3 for the Tata Theatre, Gate 4 and 5 for the Jamshed Bhabha Theatre, Gate 2 and 4 for the open air plaza, Gate 1,5 and 6 for Little Theatre, Admin Block, Godrej Academy Theatre and the Experimental Theatre. PLANNING NCPA is zoned into four main buildings dedicated to specific cultural and commercial functions, such as, theatres, restaurants, cafes and art centres. Zone 1 – Little Theatre, Nicholson Gallery, Teaching and Research Block, Admin Block; Zone 2 – Godrej Dance Academy, Experimental Gallery, Sunken Garden, Piramal Gallery; Zone 3 – Jamshed Bhabha Theatre, Rehearsal Rooms, Cafe; Zone 4 – Tata Theatre, Open Air Plaza, Amadeus Restaurant. The open air plaza is the central point, from which all the parties and festival events, which take place outside, emerge and develop and has a capacity of 1250 people at any one event. One of the main buildings, the Tata Theatre, was conceived by the post-modernist American architect, Philip Johnson. It is located by the plaza, close to the sea. This place, with a seating capacity of 1010 people, is a fan-shaped theatre (without a proscenium) designed for music concert, dance, drama and film screening. It is equipped with the latest lighting, sound, accessories and projection facilities; and boast of excellent acoustics meticulously devised by Cyril Harris. It is also centrally air-conditioned. The Solo Dressing Rooms are located on the ground floor whereas the Group Rooms are on the mezzanine, 4 (11.6sqm each) and 2 (23sqm each) numbers respectively. Each room furnished with wardrobe, attached toilet with shower and drinking water facilities. This block has other miscellaneous spaces housed within around; foyers at two levels framing views of the sea at each end, occupying an area of 577sqm. The height of the upper concourse is 6m and the lower concourse is 9.6m. The Courtyard Garden which is spread over an area of 450sqm, also acts as an activity space. The Rehearsal Room which is again a separate venue occupies an area of 82sqm. The service entry to the theatre is towards the right of the stage, through Dorabji Tata Road (Marine Drive). The foyer is on the same axis as the entrance at 450 to the street, but the ingenuity of this orientation is the fact that it opens out to the view of the sea. Thus a second entrance is provided with the same dynamic character, overlooking the sea, which seems as the vehicular entrance. The striking feature of the foyer is the openness, continuity and exquisite treatment of material. The rich magenta carpet, the murals in tantric art and the black ‘samaies’ and the Kota stone flooring
(polished) and Malad (yellow) stone cladding on the walls impart an electric mix of elements to the space. The original exposed concrete surfaces, which were eventually coated with white paint, contribute to the liberating effect of the foyer space. The foyer begins with a large flight of stairs at both the ends, which is as wide as the foyer itself giving it an impressive feeling. The auditorium has false ceiling suspended from the main RCC roof and is made up of pyramidal forms of high density compressed plaster, alternatively convex and concave radiating from the central backdrop on the stage to the outer wall. The system consists of a three sided elongated tetrahedral form with each of it having a shape different from the other. These forms were handmade and lifted to position. The multiple reflecting surfaces thus helped in distributing the sound evenly, hence being highly effective. The treatment is employed similarly on side walls of the auditorium. The floor is carpeted. With regard to the structure and materials – the two terminal points of the foyer are built on independent pile foundations separate from the pile foundations carrying the heart of the auditorium. RCC columns and beams along with stone masonry techniques have been adopted construction. The main material used is Malad stone mixed with a lot of concrete. The Stage is of the size 9m (d) x 17.5m (w) at its maximum width, with a height of 3m at Upstage and 6m at Downstage. It is semi-circular in shape, no proscenium, no house-curtain; the inner portion of the stage being rotatable (4.7m radius) and the outer portion being fixed. The rotatable stage is electronically controlled, with the rotation being 1800. It is made of Hardwood Timber Flooring with a concrete base. On one side of the plaza is the Jamshed Bhabha Theatre (1109 Seats), equipped with modern suitable stagecraft and engineering suitable for staging large-scale cultural events, dedicated to the productions of opera, ballet, musicals and corporate shows. The Italian premiere of Puccini’s opera Madame Butterfly, produced by the NCPA, was staged here in 2008. The theatre resulted in simple, direct architectural language. It consists of the use of concrete as the basic structural material, in poured concrete frame supporting carefully worked out pre-cast concrete roofs and floor elements – auditorium, concourse, lounge. The main foyer is done with use of marble on an extensive note. It was used to depict grandeur and to bring about a link between the largely found Baroque Style Heritage Buildings and Modernity. The foyer space is at two levels, it occupies an area of 930sqm on the Ground Floor and 465sqm on the First Floor. The low ceiling height (2.5m) at the concourse area made it stuffy and claustrophobic within that space. These areas lacked light and ventilation. This level also consists of a Museum Area of 165sqm. The Solo Dressing Rooms are located on the ground floor and first floor whereas the Group Rooms are on the second floor and third floor, 3 (9sqm each) – 4(9sqm each) and 2 (18.5sqm each - 7 people each) – 1 (46.5sqm – 18 people) numbers respectively. Each room is furnished with wardrobe, attached toilet with shower and drinking water facilities, and is accessible by backstage elevator and staircase. Space has been provided for quick change on the stage right (22sqm’ ht 3.9m). The control room is located at the rear of the auditorium behind glass window, partially open able, divided into 4 compartments, interconnected through common passage suitable for production control.
There are four Rehearsal Rooms (Front-of-House) each having its distinctive and appropriate precast coffered roofs and floor elements, with bearing walls of local stone where feasible; the West Room 1 (124sqm, ht 2.88m) on the second floor west wing with an adjoining open terrace (90sqm), West Room 2 (115sqm, ht 2.9m) on the third floor west wing with an adjoining open terrace (50sqm), East Room 1 (113.5sqm, ht 2.9m) on the second floor east wing with an adjoining open terrace (55sqm) and East Room 2 (99sqm, ht 2.9m) on the third floor east wing with an adjoining open terrace (32sqm). The Stage occupies more area in comparison to the Tata Theatre. It consists of 2 entries from the East and West Foyer, and is of the size 23.7m (w) x 14.6m (d) behind the house-curtain plus 1m (d) space in front of the house-curtain. Hardwood timber flooring on MS framing (no traps, no revolve) is used for the stage. Concrete flooring has been used for the wing spaces and the cross-over space. This theatre also has an Orchestra Pit, and the specifications of the same are:
Forestage Orchestra Elevator – 19m (w) x 4m (d); travel -2.9m (below stage), 0.0m (auditorium level) to +1m (Stage level). Capacity – 60 musicians Below Stage Pit, Fixed Portion – 15.4m (w) x 4.2m (d) x 3.1m (h)
It is evident that, the entrance porch (covered and cantilevered structure) of the theatre has become merely great dust-catching, pigeon-infested contrivances, which gather heat all day and then radiate it back into the building all night, causing indescribable anguish to the occupants. The enthusiasm seemed to lie not in solving the problem but in making the theatrical gesture. The proposal lacks Indian character in its detailing and is hence difficult to identify with. Godrej Dance Academy Theatre is a proscenium theatre designed especially for dance performers. It has the capacity to house 185 people. The theatre is slightly sunk below the ground level and is entered from the Chauraha Court. Its foyer is a linear rectangular space overlooking the court. The concourse is about 4m wide and is quite spacious. The seating is stepped and divided into two segments with 3 aisles, and arranged in an area of about 8m x 12m. There are wooden strips as acoustic panelling on the side walls, and the false ceiling has been broken into a series of convex panels to absorb to sound. The control room is located at the rear of the theatre, behind the glass observation window. There are 2 Dressing Rooms (13.8sqm and 17sqm) provided at the ground floor level, with a common lobby of an area 19.6sqm. The Stage measures 9m (w) x 5.6 (d) height of 2.34m wing-to-wing. The wing spaces being 3.55m (w) x 6.7m (l) height of 2.34m and 2.2m (w) x 6.7m (l) height 2.34m, stage right and stage left respectively; the proscenium opening being 9.55m (w) x 2.4m (h). The Academy opens up to a sunken courtyard (232sqm) with a central landscaped area. It has red Shahabad stone paving on the raised walls and the stepped seating. The sunken area helps in maintaining privacy and cuts off the noise from the surrounding areas. This space is also used as an amphitheatre for small plays. It serves as a spill over space for the Godrej Dance Academy Theatre. The Little Theatre is located along with the main Admin Block. This proscenium theatre is used for music, dance and video projection, acoustically designed as a Recording Studio. It has a seating
capacity of 114. The Recording Room is located at the rear of the auditorium. There are two Dressing Rooms provided, one at the ground floor level (8.5sqm) and one at the first floor level (15.8sqm). The Stage measures 6.66m (w) x 5.47m (di) wing-to-wing with a height of 3.96m downstage and 3.08m upstage. The wing spaces being 1.1m (w) x 6m (l) height of 3.08m and 1m (w) x 6m (l) height 3.08m, stage right and stage left respectively; the proscenium opening being 5.85m (w) x 3.96m (h). Experimental Theatre (285 Seats), is a ‘black box’ venue with modular seating and staging units. The space provides a platform for innovative production design and presentation, promotes the exploration of new directions in performance art. The Piramal Art Gallery was developed by NCPA with the help of a generous donation from Dilip Piramal. It is one of the only galleries of its kind in India to exhibit works from leading Indian and International photographers, as well as other forms of visual art. The gallery is spacious and modular in design, allowing for more than one exhibition at a time. It is temperature controlled and is equipped with professional lighting and security systems. NCPA has basement parking facility for 80 four-wheelers and 40 two-wheelers, along with surface parking around the building for about 80 four-wheelers. Separate parking area has been allocated to the admin block. The entry and exits to the basement parking are near the open air plaza. There are provisions of drop off points at each of the entries. Handicap car parking is provided at areas where required. The roads near the admin block are not wide enough for the movement of vehicles both the ways. This causes a bit of confusion at that area. OVERVIEW This case study helped me understand the design of a performance center and its various theatres, of varying scales and functions. It offered a lot in terms of requirements and its distribution, building materials. The entire ensemble of spaces is really functional. The design incorporates an amalgamation of forms – rectangles and triangles. Although the spaces for movement, concourses were provided, the experience/walk there did not offer any sort of views or open spaces. Only the Tata Theatre did impress with regard to the above. It would have been interesting to see how the centre would have functioned without a compound wall. Architecturally a space, where elements and activities of different natures were collective, while maintaining formal and above all visual connectivity. In accordance with true spirit of the centre, known for bringing independent and individual entities together, which, when combined form a single collective; the project does not contribute to the public-minded togetherness, a place where the visitors/ building interact with local passer-by and workers. The scale has been pulled down to match what the average citizen can be a part of, but at times is released to reveal huge double height volumes. Various degrees of porosity are employed in the exterior walls. There is a portion which is completely blank, another which has expressive big entries as well as a side with miniature openings. The image is of a stately and stable complex which instigates a sense of curiosity. Small pitched elevation was built to gain views of the city and the sea.
