Acoustic characterization of the ancient theatre of Tyndaris: Evaluation and proposals for its reuse

Ancient theaters are one of the most representative signs of civilization belonging to Greek culture. The origin of these structures dates back to the 5th century BC: designed for the perfect acoustics, they were used at different purposes – religious ceremonies, political assembly, theatrical and musical performances – with progressive developments and diffusion outside Greece. Theaters were object of architectural modifications already in ancient epoch, during Hellenistic and Roman periods. Today, the damages due by time, atmospheric agents and invasive restorations are responsible for critic conditions of conservation of ancient theaters and, consequently, of their remarkable acoustics. Moreover, the revival of the ancient drama leaded to the reuse of ancient theaters nowadays, practice that is commonly accepted in many countries, but barely reasoned on the effective properties of their complex acoustical apparatus. In this article, the theatre of Tyndaris, in Sicily (Italy) is chosen as case study. The results of an extended measuring campaign are reported. The analysis of the theatre as geometrical model allows the comprehension of its original acoustical characteristics and the design of a scenic proposal, specifically developed to enhance the natural acoustics. This scenery is evaluated by means of an acoustic simulation tool, Odeon v.13.1. The calibration of the virtual models refers to the objective acoustic parameters, to the arrival time of the only strong early reflection (Δt) and to the Direct- to-Reflective energy Ratio (DRR). Listening tests are performed using auralizations.