The transformation of a former telephone exchange building into a new home for Edmonton’s Rapid Fire improv group focuses on connection between performers and audience.
The design team led a Visioning Session with stakeholders, including paper-doll planning, hot spot exploration of spaces, and a mad-lib themed exercise to tap the creativity and expertise of the troupe. Connection to audience and a welcoming, inclusive and safe space emerged as key design goals, together with a lively aesthetic that reflects the nature of improv performance.
The design creates a generous lobby and bar leading to a 151 seat theatre, together with greenroom and support spaces in a compact floor plan. Materials combine the industrial nature of the base building’s rough brick and steel with refined modern surfaces and super-graphics, achieving a playful, raw aesthetic that retains an intimate, comfortable feel.