For the Koh I Noor’s Price

Yes yes, it’s summer, I’ve almost managed to redo my wall, looks like my arms went through the paws of a tiger, so I allow myself to ramble widely in a future.

If I could build Altair with no money limit, what would I do? is the subject of my reflection today.

– We agree: my “No limit” stando is in action – I’m not counting the money I don’t have.

If I were to build Altair, I’d first have to make sure it was as functional as possible.

So: all the technical part will be in the centre; to radiate in the different rooms.

The technical part means: the equipment warehouse (sound and light for the bulk of the space); the set construction workshop – we always build sets, if only to adapt the companies’ sets to the size of the stage; the workshop for removing sets from the different companies – and all this with a loading dock that allows all these elements to be transported.
Lingerie: because yes, the costumes have to be washed and ironed…

The performance halls will all have to face backwards on this central technical part, so that technical assembly and disassembly can be carried out quickly and accurately.

I have already listed the number of halls that I consider ideal for the theatre to operate at full capacity:
1 large hall, for all the big shows: large stage, large audience capacity.
1 creation room, for all the shows that are being created, that work on the layout (frontal, bi-fontal, on all 4 sides…): this one welcomes less audience, and makes it possible to fill shows that are a little less known than the Great Hall.
1 “Cocoon” hall, for children: there are many baby shows, they easily attract complete families – but they only accept very few spectators: freezing a large hall for a 200-seat capacity seems unsuitable to me.
1 concert hall: without a seat for the public, it is the music hall where one sings and dances?

1 amphitheatre outside: for the “monsters”, shows that exceed 2000 spectators.

This gives 5 halls for classical performances.

To this should be added: a rehearsal studio, the size of the big stage.

And then comes Altair Twin.
For Altair Twin to work, some of the rehearsing artists need to be able to rehearse in the motion capture/camera 360° rooms.
In order to have enough to feed our Virtual production, we need at least two “shooting” rooms.

Obviously, rooms to process these “images” – according to all the stated points of view: a part will go into the production of Virtual Reality contents, a part will go into the production of contents for video game DLCs.

Basically, this will be the post-production rooms.

My theatre isn’t finished yet:
it needs all the offices for all the brave and valiant employees who will be assigned to the different parts of Altair.

There has to be a catering area big enough for everyone to eat and meet each other.
Lodges etc.

As far as public access is concerned:

– big comeback from my “No Limit”: in addition to the box office and the hall where you wait to enter the show, I would like small Virtual Experience Rooms… where the public can try out our fabulous offers and thrills in the VR. As I want the contents to change quickly and often, these rooms will not die of boredom – and uselessness, since we will never experience the same thing there.

I think two VR rooms are enough on the theatre grounds.

But that’s not all.
Having more and more precise elements of the marvellous Impossible, Mythical and Legendary festivals in my head, I anticipate what we will need.

We’ll need players… so we’ll also need some “playhouses”… where players will be able to discover Altair Twin in their games …
A small crew of players will therefore be welcome in Altair’s premises.
They will be widely used during the 3 Festivals.

As it is easy to get bored in the meantime, it will be a question of taking care of the outside for the public, always keeping the theme of the game and the show. The old pedal carousels would have to be rethought, re-modernised to make an easy success.

And I still have one more point – I didn’t think of Koh I Noor just to show off.
You know – or you didn’t know – that a theatre has to pay for the accommodation and food of the companies it hosts.
Well, okay.
Offering the hotel and minibuses and meals for the first few years makes you feel like you’re not spending too much.
But in the long run, it’s a sinkhole.

So, if we can build Altair from start to finish, not adding a place to welcome companies, artists, engineers, etc. would, in my opinion, be a mistake on all levels.
Indeed, if I imagine, in the Altair funds, a little “hosting” – I’m killing two birds with one stone: I’ll actually connect people who don’t know each other: my artists and the video game creators who will be there for Altair Twin.
Once they know each other, they can think about working together.
Otherwise they’ll run into each other and nothing happens.

And last but not least – I’m going to end up exceeding the price of a diamond… –
Yes, I would love a theater that thinks it has to evolve.
That new ideas will come – that some will change.
That new spaces will have to be thought of – created.

You can’t absolutely anticipate the future: you can just leave room for it to happen.
So … so … it means concretely leaving “empty” spaces for the future. Halls that are too big, gardens that are too imposing, what do I know? But spaces that are ready to be transformed for the future.

With this, we invent a theatre… weird and absolutely not like the others – and which, however, takes into account all the particularities of the “classic” thếatres, to turn their defects into qualities (here I am thinking of the astronomical price of accommodation, which is currently of no use at all, apart from hosting. I want it to be used to create encounters, therefore creations – which Altair will produce. So these are no longer constrained expenses but development investments).

There you go.
That was my “summer night’s dream”.

Anyway, Koh I Noor isn’t that expensive.
It’s just a rock.
Whereas Altair … it’s a monster.

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Featured Image : Musée Guimet (Paris) : the very famous Turban Swap – in which the Koh I Noor was hidden.