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Leeds Playhouse

Prize(s) Honorable Mentions
Company Maxfordham LLP
Lead Designers Jane Jackson
Architecture Company Page/Park Architects
Client Leeds City Council
Photo Credits Jim Stephenson
Completion Date December 2019
Project Location Leeds, UK
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Entry Description

The Leeds Playhouse has been transformed by a radical reconfiguration and extension of the existing building to create a new face to the city. The external lighting looked to strengthen the visual identity of the Playhouse. Illuminated letters along the roofline help the new extension assert its presence on St Peters Street as it sits against larger scale neighbouring buildings. The letters are reminiscent of the original Leeds Playhouse, connecting the new extension back to the origins of the theatre. Up lighting to the ceramic façade reinforces the narrative behind the pattern of the panels. Each panel depicts actors in the foot lights looking out at their audience, with the fading of colours into darkness. Each panel is lit from the bottom (representing the stage foot lights) with the light fading as your eye rises up the panels. The use of coloured lighting further enhances the story behind the vibrant ceramics. The re-imagined original entrance onto Playhouse Square forms at gateway to the wider cultural quarter located in Quarry Hill. Existing under canopy lighting was updated with discreet downlights to form an inviting and clearly identifiable secondary entrance.