Richard Brett | |
|---|---|
 Brett with a model of the Queen Elizabeth Hall at theSouthbank Centre, London | |
| Born | (1939-01-24)24 January 1939 Croydon, England |
| Died | 9 January 2014(2014-01-09) (aged 74) |
| Occupation | Theatre consultant |
| Known for | Stage engineering of theNational Theatre in London |
Richard BrettCEng FIEE (1939–2014) was a British stage engineer and is sometimes considered the first everTheatre consultant.[1]
Born in Croydon in 1939, he worked at theBBC as a senior planning and installation engineer working on the introduction of colour television,[2] until hired byRichard Pilbrow to join the newly-builtNational Theatre in London in 1967.[1] Pilbrow considered Brett the 'leading stage engineer of our time'.[3][4] In 1985 he left the National, forming his own theatre consultancy Technical Planning, now known asTheatreplan.[5]
His reputation for innovative designs was forged by notable projects including the power flying system and drum revolve at theNational Theatre and the use of air bearings at theRoyal & Derngate.[2]
Brett was chairman of theABTT and theSociety of Theatre Consultants (now the Institute of Theatre Consultants), and founded quadrennial conferenceITEAC.[6] In 2023, Brett was included in the 'Engineering Icons Tube Map' byTransport for London andThe Royal Academy of Engineering, placing him atLondon Waterloo station next to theNational Theatre.[7]
He died in 2014.[1]
Richard contributed to several books in his lifetime, includingCopenhagen Opera House[8] and theABTT'sTheatre Buildings: A Design Guide.[9]