The location of art in the urban space as a goal of contemporary theatre architecture

The response of art to the social needs of the environment requires a reference to the relevant public place. Theatre architecture can regain the power to create a proper place for the art of theatre by responding to the demand for public space in the city. The ancient Greek theatre did this by opening to the surrounding urban or natural landscape. Also the medieval theatre did this, when mobile wagons called mansions stood in city squares. It is the same as the phenomenon of street theatre, when the whole city becomes a theatre. Undoubtedly, since Teatro Oficina is based on the idea of street theatre, a place belonging to the city and its inhabitants should be mentioned. Centro Cultural de São Paulo is still a current example of the architects’ striving to build a special relationship, based on the unity of the stage, the audience and the world. Teatro La Lira in Ripoll is a pure synthesis of urban public space sometimes becoming a theatre. It is a return to the very sources of European theatre.