Lara Kerrison

Architect and Theatre Planner

Lara brings a wealth of theatre planning knowledge, expertise and creativity to the practice following her wide experience of designing for theatres whilst at RHWL and later AEDAS Arts Team.

Lara gained her degree at the University of Cambridge and post graduate qualifications at the University of Bath. Her first role was with RHWL where she worked on the detailed design and construction phases of The Guildhall School of Music & Drama’s state-of-the-art Milton Court extension, including a 608-seat concert hall, a 227-seat proscenium arch drama theatre, a 128-seat flexible studio theatre, a TV studio, and a variety of public foyers, dedicated backstage facilities and teaching and rehearsal spaces.

Later projects included the Royal Shakespeare Company’s new costume workshop in Stratford-upon- Avon, through to a new glulam-framed café for the Theatre by the Lake, set on the banks of Derwentwater in the heart of the Lake District National Park - an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Theatreplan first worked with Lara when she was Project Architect for the award-winning Tara Theatre in Earlsfield - the 100-seat, intimately scaled home of the acclaimed theatre company, Tara Arts.

Alongside new-build schemes, Lara has developed extensive experience working on historic and listed buildings and is currently pursuing her RIBA Conservation accreditation. Whilst at RHWL/Aedas, she worked regularly with Delfont Mackintosh Theatres, and was part of the team that delivered the highly regarded refurbishment and extension of the Grade II* listed Victoria Palace Theatre, working directly with Sir Cameron Mackintosh. She later led the design and delivery of Pavlova’s Cocktail Bar (Victoria Palace Theatre) and works to upgrade the fibrous plaster auditorium ceilings and ventilation system at the Wyndham’s Theatre.

Lara was working with Theatreplan whilst Project Architect for AEDAS on the Beehive Centre in Burgess Hill - a scheme for a flexible studio theatre, community space and dance studio. She was also leading the design of the front of house spaces for the refurbishment of the Bradford Odeon - a derelict former Art Deco ciné-variety theatre, closed since 2000 and now undergoing a major redevelopment into a 3500-seat live entertainment venue to be operated by the NEC Group.

Lara currently is leading on theatre planning for the major reimagining of Yeovil Octagon Theatre and for a brand new theatre - The Stage in Luton.

Current Position
Architect and Theatre Planner

Qualifications
BA(Hons), MArch, ARB, RIBA

Joined Theatreplan
2021

Performance is everything

Grand Hall Battersea Arts Centre

Shaw Auditorium

Trafalgar Theatre

Sydney Opera House

Tara Theatre

Australia Chamber Orchestra

The Neilson Australian Chamber Orchestra

Pitlochry Festival Theatre

About Us

What We Do

Our Team

Our Partnerships

Theatreplan is a specialist technical design consultancy, helping to create amazing spaces for performance, around the world.

What We Do

What We Do
We provide the complete range of venue and auditorium planning, and technical design services, including lighting, sound, stage engineering,
AV, digital and communications. We cover all stages of a project, from feasibility and concept design, right through to construction and opening night.

We help design new spaces for performance, wherever live or digital content is shown and created, from concert halls and school theatres, to cinemas and motion capture studios. We also help refurbish historic theatres, and work with some of the world’s largest and most complex performance venues to upgrade their technical facilities.

Our Approach
Your vision, for your performance space, provides the focus for our work. We will closely collaborate with you, and other specialists when working as part of a design team, so we understand what you really need from your space. We will be honest with you about what we think is achievable and the best ways to go about delivering your vision. We will suggest new ideas that may not have been considered before and discuss these ideas with you to ensure they meet your requirements.

Why Choose Theatreplan?
For over 35 years we have designed award winning performing arts venues, and re-imagined existing spaces, for clients around the world. Our specialist venue planners and auditorium designers help create beautiful, bespoke performance spaces, while our stage engineers, lighting, sound, AV and communications consultants, can provide cutting edge technical infrastructure design, having gained their knowledge and expertise through years of experience working in theatres.

We understand practitioners, and what creatives, directors, performers, and technicians need to make their performances thrill, excite and move audiences, with dynamic, flexible spaces that cater for the many and varied requirements for performance today.

We know what audiences want from a venue and how to make that a reality

We always factor in the needs of operators to ensure venues are sustainable for the future.

And we prioritise environmental sustainability throughout every stage of a project, to bring innovative solutions that support sustainable development.

We have an absolute commitment to ensuring client satisfaction and an engaging, fun, and genuinely collaborative approach to the creative process.

We can’t wait to hear about your project. Call us on +44 (0) 20 7841 0440 or get in touch via email: info@theatreplan.com

Dave Ludlam, Mathew Smethurst-Evans, Michael Atkinson

I'm delighted that we will be drawing on the expertise of Theatreplan to enable us to deliver our vision for a redeveloped Citizens Theatre

Dominic Hill

Artistic Director, Citizens Theatre

Your efforts bring us such joy as we work in the theatre — the space is much more than I imagined

Jatinder Verma

Artistic Director, Tara Arts

Operaen Copenhagen...is truly a magnificent performing arts building and its intricate but highly functional design is a great testament to your expertise. They are so lucky to have such well-planned and generous technical and plant spaces

Richard Stuart

Former Technical Director, Sydney Opera House

The Belfast Lyric is the finest new theatre in the world

Simon Callow

Actor

Theatreplan have been an integral part of the project team, providing upfront strategic advice and concepts, design and support through the delivery and commissioning phases, clear and insightful advice, high quality design solutions, and collaborative support. I have no hesitation in recommending Theatreplan for other projects, particularly where there is a need to manage complexity and achieve a high-quality outcome.

Ian Cashen

Executive Director, Building, Safety & Security Sydney Opera House