Leeson says the restoration team went through an extensive process of removing and storing the heritage features, and taking moulds of all the decorative plasterwork so missing pieces could be replicated. But it was the dome in the auditorium that created the biggest challenge.
"At nearly 11m, the dome is the size of a small house. We needed to find a place to rest this while the auditorium was demolished and rebuilt. In the end the only viable solution was to suspend the dome from the fly tower on the stage, where it hung like a UFO throughout the rebuild."
Restoring the frescoes painted on canvas panels that were glued to the dome was particularly difficult. Incandescent lighting around the lower perimeter had burned the canvas. There was also damage caused by the original glue and moisture over many years.
The frescoes were carefully removed from the dome and the old glue painstakingly scraped from the back of each canvas by scalpel. Once both the front and back surfaces had been meticulously cleaned and restored, the original canvas was given a new carbon fibre shell backing, and then reattached to the restored plaster dome.
Carswell says rebuilding the auditorium meant the interior could be made code compliant without retro-fitted accretions or compromise.
"This ensures the full Edwardian splendour of the theatre can be appreciated. We even remodelled the seating, removing the centre aisles and testing the sightlines from every seat. We adjusted the pitch of the new floor to provide the best views."
The team also took the opportunity to improve the front-of-house facilities. The stalls foyer was enlarged by acquiring space formerly taken by a tenant. Lesson says one of the most challenging aspects of this part of the project was manoeuvring a 300-tonne crane around the marble staircase, which could not be moved.