RETAIL

Odeon today is synonymous with slick cinema, but new research from the University of Warwick shows the first Odeon, built mid-fifth century BC in Athens, assigned the audience a worse view than being stuck behind a 6ft 10inch body-builder at a modern cinema multiplex. The Odeon of Pericles, the first indoor theatre and prototype for modern auditoriums, has been digitally rebuilt by the School of Theatre Studies and e-lab at Warwick to reveal that although the audience could hear the actors, their view was severely obscured by rows of pillars. Archaeological evidence reveals there were nine rows of nine columns, and innovative 3D imaging shows 40 percent of the audience would not have been able to see anything. Around 80 large columns were needed to support the polygonal tent like roof, indicating the design did not offer a spectacular view of centre-stage action, but emphasised the grandeur and spectacle of the auditorium itself. Interactive virtual archaeology has rebuilt the theatre and can take viewers inside, onto the seating or the stage. Originally set on the south slope of the Acropolis the ancient theatre, which held an audience of 3,000, is now reconstructed in virtual reality to demonstrate where members of the audience could find the best seat, and the dreadful sightline problems spectators encountered over 2000 years ago. Mr Drew Baker, Multimedia Designer with e-lab at the University of Warwick, said: "The Odeon of Pericles has been computer generated from a jumble of ruins. Virtual reality models of historically important but long lost ancient sites inject new life into study and enable students and researchers walk around theatres, many of which have long since disappeared. The 3D creations enable people to look at intricate details and produce images to help experience time, space and lighting in a way far more engaging than a lecture or set of slides." The e-lab team, through the Theatron project headed by Professor Richard Beacham from the School of Theatre Studies at Warwick, are recreating 30 theatre sites in Europe, ranging from the Theatre of Dionysus in Athens to the Globe Theatre in London. To ensure the virtual buildings are historically accurate research akin to detective work is carried out. Site visits are conducted, and all known texts and illustrations, such as drawings, old diaries and photography, are collated before designs are computerised. Professor Richard Beacham from the School of Theatre Studies at the University of Warwick, said: "By learning about the setting of a play, you can understand aspects of the drama much better. You can really feel what it was like to watch a performance thousands of years ago. The visualisation technology has a number of applications and will interest scholars, historians, teachers, architects and archaeologists." The technology can be used to recreate diverse ancient and heritage sites through multimedia, as well as plans for future buildings, and e-lab is looking to exploit commercial opportunities.