The acoustic design of the Teatro Eschilo, Gela (Italy)

The "Teatro Eschilo", in the town of Gela, Sicily, Italy, was built in 19th century, and refurbished many times in the early 20th century. During those refurbishments the main hall was completely modified: a huge balcony on two raws made in concrete, substituted the original 5 orders of balconies, and the proscenium was totally redesigned. The walls were heavily upholstered, to limit the reflection of the concrete, and a fresco of the School of the Sicilian painter Guttuso was painted in the ceiling. After a while people started to complain about the acoustics. Moreover, after the Second World War, the theatre was slowly abandoned and it definitely closed in 1982 The original acoustics of the theatre was poor. The Opera was not fully appreciated, and musical performances were strongly unsatisfying. Therefore, the reopening of the theatre would have required to be accomplished by an acoustical design, which could enhance the reverberation, limit the focalisation and increase the strength in the far seats. In 2000 an architectural design was proposed. The acoustical project consisted in a set of diffusing panels mainly lo-cated in the stage, and in a treatment in the ceiling and in the lateral walls. The panels were designed following Schroeder's number theory, and the location in the theatre was analysed by means of a numerical code. The results of numerical calculations, as well as examples of the panels, are here presented.