Rouen’s new theatre, named after the Russian revolutionary dramatist and novelist Maxim Gorki, was created out of a building that was fitted out in the 1960s as a cinema. Remodelling the interior space and expanding seating capacity was the requirement set out in a competition in 1998. However, it was not until six years later that the renovation was finally completed. Now the auditorium in this drama-only theatre can accommodate 468 people, on banked rows of seating that can be dismantled as required. The seating is new and placed more closely together than in the old cinema hall. Also extended was the stage area, now equipped with a versatile proscenium in front of the main stage. Just outside the auditorium, at the back, is the foyer with upper-floor gallery, providing sufficient space for the theatre-goers in the intervals.