VISUAL Centre for Contemporary Art and The George Bernard Shaw Theatre

The VISUAL Centre for Contemporary Art is a new 3,130 square metre arts center for Carlow. It comprises four principal gallery spaces and the George Bernard Shaw Theatre. The center will provide a space to display temporary exhibitions of contemporary and other art of local, national and international standing, offer new spaces for Eigse Carlow Arts Festival and Visualise Carlow, and provide a home for the performing arts in the city. The 353-seat George Bernard Shaw Theatre will receive national and regional touring productions as well as presenting locally produced work. It is designed to ensure optimum and dynamic presentations of theatre, music, dance, cinema, and literary readings. As the home venue for a number of Carlow-based amateur and professional groups, the theatre will be used for workshops, rehearsals and presentation of their work. The center will also be available to schools and community groups for school and community productions.

Services

Concept design, theatre planning, and theatre equipment design and specification

Owner

Carlow City Council

Users

Touring performances, local, national and regional groups, amateur groups, and school and community productions

Acoustician

Acoustic Dimensions

Theatre Type(s)

Multipurpose theatre

Seat Count(s)

353

Construction Type

New construction

• Six project openings in six weeks