Iain Mackintosh’s book ‘Theatre Spaces 1920-2020: Finding the Fun in Functionalism’, co-published by the Society for Theatre Research and Bloomsbury-Methuen (and this year’s annual publication) has been reviewed by Michael Billington in The Guardian.

‘What makes a good theatre? Critics are not the most reliable guides. We sit in the best seats, don’t have to pay, and are there to assess the performance rather than the building. If ever I have wanted guidance on architectural issues, I have turned to Iain Mackintosh, who from 1973 worked for Theatre Projects Consultants, has designed many successful theatres and has now put his encyclopedic knowledge into a book called Theatre Spaces 1920-2020. But the revelation comes in the subtitle: Finding the Fun in Functionalism. At the heart of the book lies an assault on modernist concrete buildings and a celebration of any theatre where actor and audience enjoy an easy rapport…’

Read the full review published online on Tuesday 18th July 2023 here.