In theatre, a shell (also known as an acoustical shell, choral shell or bandshell) is a curved, hard surface designed to reflect

sound In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the br ...

towards an audience. Often shells are designed to be removable, either rolling away on wheels or lifting into a flyspace. Shells are most commonly used for orchestras, bands and choirs, although they can also be used in any application that requires passive sound amplification. Shells are generally made of hard materials, because they are designed to absorb as little sound as possible.

History

Acoustical shells were developed to reflect sound outward, focused in one direction as opposed to the ″sound in the round″ diffused from all sides of the open gazebo bandstand. In the United States they were built in large city parks and amusement parks as bands increased in size. Free−standing outdoor shells in a variety of styles were built starting in the 1890s. Professional architects were often employed to design them with varying degrees of acoustical success. The

Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre and Urban park, public park in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in the United States by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018 and was listed on ...

shell, based on a 1928 prototype by

Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright Jr. (March 31, 1890 – May 31, 1978), commonly known as Lloyd Wright, was an American architect, active primarily in Los Angeles and Southern California. He was a landscape architect for various Los Angeles projects (19 ...

, has been rebuilt several times with the present structure being the fifth on that site. Rectangular pavilions with enclosed shell and stage, similar to one in Boise, Idaho (pictured), were being built after 1900. These proved very effective as outdoor performing venues, and many are still in use. The Rotorua Soundshell was an outdoor shell theatre in the Rotorua CBD on the shore of

Lake Rotorua Lake Rotorua () is the second largest lake in the North Island of New Zealand by surface area, and covers 79.8 km2. With a mean depth of only 10 metres it is considerably smaller than nearby Lake Tarawera in terms of volume of water. It i ...

, New Zealand. Built in 1947, it was the locale for the Rotorua Soundshell Talent Quest, won in 1956 by the original Howard Morrison Quartet, thereby launching the career of Sir Howard Morrison. The shell building was replaced in 1958 by a modern structure that thrived until its demolition in 2019, retaining its original name despite no longer being an acoustic shell. Rotorua Museum Heritage Collections ref: cp-2113: photo.

References

Fly system Parts of a theatre Theatrical sound production Buildings and structures by type * {{Stagecraft-stub

History

See also

References