Case Studies

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Historic & Theatre Venues

Behind the Curtain – A Historic Venue with Modern Demands

The 3Olympia Theatre is an architectural gem in Dublin’s city centre, in continuous operation since 1879. Each year, it hosts approximately 220 performances—ranging from classical recitals and theatre productions to contemporary concerts—drawing an average of 150,000 patrons annually through its historic foyer, narrow corridors and intimate auditorium. With no freight elevator and limited off-street parking, all cleaning materials and equipment must be manually transported via steep staircases and tight backstage passages. Ryans Cleaning has managed these unique demands for over a decade, ensuring that both the theatre’s heritage features and modern service standards are upheld before curtain rise and after the final bow.

Challenges

  • Heritage Preservation: Maintaining delicate period details—such as gilt mouldings, century-old brass fixtures and hand-crafted woodwork—without causing surface damage or wear.
  • Restricted Access: Hauling cleaning supplies, steam cleaners and waste bins up narrow staircases and through confined side corridors, with no dedicated goods lift.
  • Rapid Turnarounds: Performing full cleaning, floor buffing, and upholstery spot treatment within one-hour windows between matinée and evening performances.
  • Urban Constraints: Coordinating equipment deliveries in restricted loading zones and navigating city-centre traffic with minimal disruption to neighbouring properties.
  • Audience Comfort and Safety: Minimising noise, odours and obstruction during set-up and breakdown to avoid detracting from the patron experience or causing health and safety issues.

Solution

  • Specialist Heritage Training: A core fixed crew of eight staff undergo annual workshops on conservation-friendly techniques, understanding the theatre’s materials and finishes.
  • Manual-Friendly Equipment: Lightweight, hand-propelled scrubbers, microfibre dusting tools, and compact vacuums that can be carried by two people up staircases, preserving fragile plaster and timber.
  • Structured Changeover Protocols: Detailed checklists and time trials conducted monthly to refine cleaning sequences—covering stage areas, seating, aisles and green rooms—guaranteeing completion within 60 minutes.
  • Logistics Coordination: Pre-scheduled delivery slots negotiated with city services for equipment restocking and waste removal, leveraging small, foldable cleaning carts that fit through tight doorways.
  • Ongoing Quality Audits: Supervisors perform post-clean inspections using heritage-safe lighting to spot missed debris or scuffs, ensuring that every performance starts with a showroom-standard environment.

Overview

Location

3Olympia Theatre,
Ireland

Annual Shows

220

Main Challenge

Heritage-sensitive cleaning and rapid changeovers

Key Service

Dedicated fixed crew and manual-friendly equipment

Specialised Task

One-hour turnover protocols

See Also

Gaiety Theatre

Historic & Theatre Venues

Results:

Over the course of a season, Ryans Cleaning successfully executed 220 on-time cleaning turnovers, safely transported over 5 tonnes of equipment up staircases, and logged zero heritage-damage incidents. Audience surveys rated venue cleanliness at 98% satisfaction, and theatre management reported a 90% reduction in delay penalties attributed to cleaning overruns.

220

shows serviced

0

heritage incidents

98%

cleanliness satisfaction

TESTIMONIALs

Client Experiences and Feedback

Ryans Cleaning have been our cleaning partner since 2013, and we have this year renewed their contract after a successful tendering process. Having an open and honest relationship, has been the key to the partnership’s success to date. Ryans consistently deliver on service and also have been extremely flexible with regard to changing circumstances, which is the nature of our, business. This allows for changes and adjustments to contract terms which have been discussed and agreed in a positive and understanding manner.

With an adaptable team on the ground, achieving high standards and flexibility, this allows our needs and those of our customers to be meet on a consistent basis. This mind set also assists us with our customer service ethos. I have no hesitation in recommending Ryans as they have, as proven by the length of time they have been with us, consistently delivered a very high standard of work and professionalism. .

Ger Hanratty

Operations & Facilities Executive, Croke Park Stadium

Conclusion & Key Takeaways

This partnership demonstrates that meticulous planning, specialist training and purpose-built manual equipment can overcome the constraints of historic venues.

Ryans Cleaning’s fixed crew model, combined with rigorous quality audits and collaborative logistics, ensures the 3Olympia Theatre remains a pristine, fully operational space—preserving its heritage while delivering exceptional guest experiences for every performance.

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