London-based theatre consultancy practice Theatreplan has ventured into the Asia-Pacific region with the opening of Theatreplan (HK) Ltd. The move follows the company’s success in securing the contract with the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA) to provide theatre consultancy services to deliver the Freespace Black Box Theatre in West Kowloon.
Located in Hong Kong, the new practice is managed by Senior Consultant, Robin Auld. ‘It was clear that, in order to deliver the best possible service to the WKCDA, we needed a base in Hong Kong,’ explains Theatreplan Partner, Dave Ludlam. ‘In addition to the enhanced service we can provide to the Black Box project, it offers us the opportunity for wider expansion into the region. Hong Kong is the perfect hub for a business looking to develop into Asia-Pacific markets, and we believe that the Far East offers us an excellent opportunity to secure growth for the company.’
The development of the West Kowloon Cultural District (managed by the WKCDA) is an important project in Hong Kong. Stretching across 40 hectares of waterfront location, the project will become one of the world’s largest cultural quarters, containg art, education and public space.
Theatreplan is also working with Hong Kong-based Rocco Design Architects to create the Cross District Community Cultural Centre, a multi-auditoria venue in Hong Kong’s Kwun Tong district designed to serve as a hub for theatrical, dance performance and community events for five districts of Eastern Hong Kong.
‘We are now ideally placed to service both ongoing and upcoming theatre and performing arts projects both within the immediate vicinity of the West Kowloon Cultural District and beyond,’ says Partner, Mathew Smethurst-Evans. ‘We are also extremely lucky to have Robin Auld spearheading operations. He is a highly experienced theatre consultant with wide-ranging technical knowledge accrued from stints with The Royal Opera House in Covent Garden and Opera Australia. He is particularly gifted when it comes to managing large-scale, complex projects where partnership relations need to be handled with care in order to achieve optimal solutions. Robin will be fully supported by all of our partners and associates here in London, but it helps that he already has extensive international experience including a certain prior knowledge of the region in addition to his considerable skills as a theatre consultant.’
More: www.theatreplan.co.uk
