516 PROCEEDINGS OP SECTION H. 



It is of course impossible to treat fully, within the limits of a 

 short paper such as the present, all tlie various structural details 

 of a healthy theatre, although there are a few essentials which 

 must be drawn attention to. 



The site should admit of the building being free on all sides, 

 not only for egress to the open air, light and ventilation, but also 

 for the safety of adjoining buildings in case of fire, to allow of 

 room for the operations of the fire-brigade, and to permit of the 

 construction of a system of external balconies, as at the Flemish 

 Theatre in Brussels. The proscenium-wall also requires special 

 features of construction. 



Entrances, but most certainly exits, from the more expensive 

 portions of the building should be situated in the narrower 

 thoroughfares, and those from the cheaper parts in the wider ones. 

 The end in view of this arrangement is to lessen the magnitude 

 of the crowd congregating ; for instance, during ingress or egress 

 there will be a comparatively large number of people collected 

 outside the pit or gallery doors than there would be at the stall or 

 box entrances. This cumulative wedging in of the victims at the 

 entrance doors by the external crush was a very important factor 

 in the terrible loss of life at the Vienna Ring Theatre. 



After the width of a stair, whatever that may be, has once 

 been fixed, it should be uniform throughout that stair, and on no 

 account be reduced by the erection of a ticket-office, ventilating 

 flue, or other contrivance, which only act as blocks to the passage- 

 way. 



With regard to the matter of seating accommodation, I have 

 pi'oposed a wholesale reform by which all the seats are placed either 

 in single, double, or even treble file, vertically to the proscenium, 

 with gangways intervening ; thus, people may come out or in 

 without inconveniencing either themselves or others who may be 

 already seated. It must be distinctly understood that where once 

 a buildiiag has been constructed to accommodate a certain number 

 of occupants, any excess of that number is on no account to be 

 tolerated. A building is intended to hold a certain number of 

 people ; the fittings, appliances, means of escape, amount of water 

 in case of fire, &c., are all based and calculated on that number, and 

 will naturally prove deficient and faulty svipposing it to be exceeded. 

 There was a grim satisfaction in knowing that the Theatre Royal 

 accommodated eight hundred and eighty-nine more visitors than 

 it was seated for ! 



All the world over, actors have the most abominable rooms to 

 dress in, and Sydney unfortunately proves no exception to the 

 rule. At the Criterion Theatre they are situate in the basement, 

 under the auditorium, divided from each other by wood partitions, 

 there is an alley-way encircling them, five w.c.'s and three urinals 

 here, no light to the I'ooms except gas, very defective ventilation, 



