Halls

In architecture, a Hall is a relatively large space enclosed by a roof and walls. As more complex house plans developed, hall remained a large room for dancing and large feasts. There are different types of halls such as religious halls, meeting halls, collegiate halls. The type of hall which Lahore arts council owes is collegiate hall. There are three major collegiate halls and one Adabi Baithak which is specially made for Poets, writers, and philosophers of every genre. The details of the Halls is mentioned below.

The Mall Campus

Hall 1

 

The inauguration of this auditorium ushered in a new era of performing arts in the history of Lahore as Alhamra had got a stage which is fitted with the latest facilities. The stage is 80 feet wide with a depth of over 50 feet. There is an orchestra pit covered with removable wooden planks. There is sufficient space at the backstage for the waiting participants. The stage is connected on south with the greenroom, makeup rooms and rehearsal areas etc. The hall is carpeted and has 696 seats with cushioned steel chairs. The stage lights are fitted in the frontal portion of ceiling. The auditorium is air-conditioned.

Hall 2

 
This hall was completed in 1985 and was inaugurated by General Ghulam Jillani Khan, the then Governor of Punjab on 22.8.1985. This hall has a capacity of 372 seats with carpeting and furnishing of the same standard as that of Hall-I. It is also used for theatrical, artistic and public programmes. The backstage of the hall is linked with the stage of Hall-II and the artists and props can easily move from one stage to the other. A waiting room, an office for manager and rehearsal and makeup rooms are available with this Hall. Click here to view the auditorium and seating plans

Hall 3

 
As mentioned earlier one of the most avowed objectives of setting up the Arts Council was preservation of the country’s cultural heritage and music was one of its most important components. When the complex covered the theatrical, arts and administration side the Council started making efforts for provision of a space dedicated to music. This block was completed and inaugurated by the Chief Minister, Punjab, on 23rd March, 1988. The accommodation in the Music Block consists of a small auditorium with a capacity of 220 seats and a foyer area. It has a conference room facility for about 40 people and some of the accommodation on the ground floor for the administration section. In the basement a Recording Studio has been provided with 12 channels recording equipment and recording booths. In the basement there are classrooms for music classes.

Adabi Baithak

 
There was a dire need felt among the literary circles for a place like ‘Pak Tea House” where they could sit and share their literary pursuits. Some of the writers, intellectuals and poets had also mentioned their difficulty for not getting a proper place in the city. The Governor had directed the undersigned to look for such a place and brief him with specific place and facilities to be provided. Accordingly as per directions of the Governor a place under Hall No.3 of Alhamra was found out which after renovation & furnishing was inaugurated by Lt. Gen. (R) Khalid Maqbool on August 17, 2006. There are about 400 members of this Adabi Baithak and we have stopped further membership due to shortage of space.

Cultural Complex, Gaddafi Stadium

This complex was created after the success of The Mall Campus. Like its predecessor it was built for the encouragement of artistic activity from established to emerging and from traditional to experimental art forms. The details of facilities are as under

Open Air Theatre

 

The Open Air Theatre is an extension of the Alhamra. The Ferozepur Road location was selected to take the pressure away from an overly congested Shahrah-e-Quaid-e-Azam and to create a performing arts facility for the newly developed areas of Lahore i.e. Model Town, Faisal Town, Garden Town, Johar Town, Township, Gulberg and Defence, etc.The theatre sits in the midst of large green areas, at a stone’s throw from Lahore’s famous willow lined canal. Its imposing brick façade set with local regional features such as handmade Multani tiles is an interesting blend of the contemporary and the traditional classicism of the Roman coliseum.The multi-purpose theatre is designed to cater for drama, Music, cultural melas and large scale concerts.

Hall I & II Cultural Complex

Apart from the open air facilities, maximum and effective utilization of space has resulted in the provision of an elegant auditorium with a seating capacity of 348. A handsome wood paneled small (Hall-II/C.C.) and a spacious Workshop has also been provided in addition to rehearsal and storage space while the larger hall is generally being used for plays by students and amateur groups, the smaller hall with a capacity of 150 is used for lectures, seminars and discussions and programs requiring an intimate space.