Universal Hall Promotions
Universal Hall Promotions is a Social Enterprise Company managing the building and curating and programming events at the Universal Hall venue, based in the Park Ecovillage, Moray. Whilst the Universal Hall building is owned by the Ecovillage Findhorn Community Benefit Society, Universal Hall Promotions is an entirely independent company, funded by Creative Scotland to promote artistic events of high quality to the local community.
Universal Hall Promotions hosts a variety of events and performances throughout the year including concerts of all kinds: contemporary music, Scottish traditional music, classical evenings with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Scottish Opera, dramatic performances from many touring theatre companies and a range of comedy, dance, film and children’s entertainment.
Tickets are usually online. Concession prices are for seniors (over 60’s), registered students, registered unemployed, disabled and their carers, and Phoenix co-workers. Usually there is a third price for U16’s.
Flexible facilties at the Universal Hall also make it an efficient and attractive venue for conference and workshop events. If you are interested in renting the venue then please contact us.
Dancing
We are aware that people often like to get up and dance at our events!
Please always check the website listing for an event to see if it is marked as a ‘seated only’ event.
Where the event is appropriate for dancing, we will leave out ‘reserved for audience members who wish to dance/restricted view‘ signage on the front two rows of chairs. Please be mindful of other audience members, particularly those who wish to enjoy the concert whilst remaining seated. Dance when and where it is appropriate. Please only dance on the auditorium floor, as the aisles and stairs need to be kept clear for Health and Safety purposes. If additional seating has been laid out on the auditorium floor for an event, please do not dance/walk between the front row of the seating and the stage/performance area.
Children
We welcome children to age-appropriate events here at Universal Hall Promotions and where we can, we offer a reduced Under 16 ticket price to actively encourage this. However, we do request that parents/guardians supervise their children throughout the event. If it is a dancing event, whilst children are welcome to dance, the request is that they should sit next to their parent/guardian and be guided as to when it might be accepted as appropriate by the majority of the audience to get up to do so. Please note that no running on the stairs or auditorium floor is allowed. Please also note that children under 12 years of age should be accompanied to the toilets during an event and should never be left unsupervised in the building, for safety reasons.
Assistance Dogs
Registered assistance dogs that are accompanying their respective owner are welcome to attend shows here at Universal Hall Promotions. We request that they not be allowed on the seating, and that they be kept on a lead at all times.
Emotional Support Animals
With the exception of trained and accredited assistance dogs, we regret that we are unable to allow ESA into the theatre here at Universal Hall Promotions.
Food & Drink
When possible, we ask the Phoenix Cafe, Findhorn, to open for pre-show and intermission drinks for our evening shows. We will usually announce in the listings when the cafe will not be open for an event.
Please note that no food and only bottled water is allowed into the auditorium. Please enjoy your cafe treats before you take your seats!
Universal Hall
Universal Hall was built as a labour of love by literally thousands of people (mostly visiting or living at the Findhorn Foundation Community) in the ten years from 1974 to 1984. Its basic shape is a pentagon and, at its heart, is an auditorium that will seat 300 people comfortably and up to 370 with extra seats on the wooden floor. The auditorium is primarily used for music, drama, dance and mixed media shows and makes a great conference venue.
Designed by British architect George Ripley, the building has a hand-carved stone exterior facing, a magnificent stained glass entrance, geodesic roof construction and five enormous wooden ring beams hold up the roof.
From the exterior you can get a good view of the glass roof lantern, again pentagonal in shape, giving the building a highly unusual outline. Located at the edge of a sand dune/wilderness area, Universal Hall was built to be the theatre, conference centre and meeting point for the Findhorn Foundation and Community.
In 2003, The Waterboys recorded an album here and named it after the Hall. Read about it here…
The Auditorium
The auditorium has a thrust stage area (hand-laid beechwood) with the audience on three sides in individual seats. The seats can be removed to create an increased dance area or for conversion to a TV studio. Video and slide projection are available onto a permanent cinema-sized 5 metre wide screen. We have a full theatre lighting system comprising:
DESKS
Strand 200 Plus 24/48-channel mixer with FX. Total Blackout possible.
Jands Stage CL
ETC Element 2 (Windows 7)
ETC Ion (Windows XL)
DIMMERS
Green Ginger Wallrack 60 (96 CH)
2 x Avolites Art 2000 Power Cube
LAMPS
- 6 x Procan Par64 Luminaire 1KW
- 8 x Selecon Acclaim 650W
- 2 x ETC CE Source Four Zoom 15-30° 750W
- 12 x ETC CE Source Four JR 25-50° 575W
- 4 x ETC CE Source Four JR 36° 575W
- 5 x Prelude Rank Strand Profile 28/40° 500/650W
- 3 x Prelude Rank Strand Profile 16/30° 500/650W
- 3 x Prelude Rank Strand Model 803 Fresnel 90° 500/650W
- 2 x Selecon Acclaim (Model 1) 650W
- 4 x Rank Strand Prelude F 500/650W
- 6 x CCT Fresnel 500/650W
- 7 x Rank Strand Harmony F Fresnel 1000W
- 14 x Prolights Studio Cob FC
- 3 x Prolights Astra Profile 400
SOUND
- 1 x HK audio Actor DX system comprising 2 mid high packs + 4 bass bins.
- It is a digital powered system with presets for band or for disco.
- Output power 3,200 watts.
- Also 4 x HK audio flown speakers, powered by a Lab Gruppen amp,
- Output power 600 watts per side.
- 2 x HKAudio Linear Sub 1800 A, self powered 1200 watts each.
- 2 x HK Audio Linear 3 L3-115-FA, self powered 1200 watts each.
- These separate systems can be linked together to provide an output power of approximately 9,200K watts.
- There are 7 monitor wedges, 2 powered and 5 passive. The sound desk can support 4 mono mixes and 3 stereo mixes.
- The sound desk is an Allen & Heath QU 24 digital sound desk with an Allen &Heath AR2412 Audio rack and 50M Cat 5 cable.
ADDITIONAL
- There is a Steinway Boudoir Grand Piano
- We have a Q-build staging system
- The auditorium also contains two of the largest oil canvasses in Europe, specially commissioned works by the late N Haydn Stubbing.
Floor Plan
The lighting rig is accessed by a skywinder from the floor and a long ladder from the seating area. Universal Hall does not have a resident lighting technician. The lighting desk can be moved from the lighting booth to a table adjacent to the sound desk.
Dance Studio and Music Room
The dance and drama studio has a sprung floor, exercise bars on three walls and floor-to-ceiling mirrors on the fourth, sound equipment, plus changing rooms with showers. It is used for a variety of classes including contemporary and traditional dance, drama and yoga. Further down the corridor, a music practice room with upright piano and percussion instruments is available for classes, rehearsals and general use by community musicians of all levels of ability.
Phoenix Cafè
Located at the front of Universal Hall. There is interior and exterior seating in the café with a south facing terrace. A range of cakes and pastries, coffees, teas, soft drinks, alcoholic beverages and a selection of vegetarian light lunches are served. Please check their Facebook page for their seasonal opening times. The café also opens for all of our shows that have an interval, serving teas, coffees, alcohol and soft drinks. Please note that only bottled water can be taken into the auditorium.
Art Exhibitions
The walls of the café and the upper foyer are sometimes offered as art exhibition space and exhibitions are bookable by arrangement. The manager of the Phoenix Store (which owns the café franchise) should be contacted on 01309 690110 regarding the cafe walls and Ursula, who manages all of our UHP bookings can be contacted on 01309 691170 about the upper foyer wall space.
Universal Hall Promotions is supported by:
