Case Studies
Impact in Action
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Spotlight-Ready, Everyday – Preserving the Shine at Gaiety Theatre
Challenges
- Rapid Changeovers: With multiple performances in a single day—often a matinée followed by an evening show—cleaning crews have as little as one hour to reset the auditorium, foyer and backstage areas.
- Heritage Fabric Care: The theatre’s period features, including original brass fixtures, carved woodwork and delicate velvet upholstery, require specialist cleaning methods that preserve their historic finishes.
- High Footfall: Each performance welcomes up to 1,165 audience members, with intermissions and exits generating significant debris, spills and wear on seating and flooring.
- Acoustic Sensitivity: Cleaning operations must be carried out without causing excessive noise or odours that could disrupt performances or future rehearsals.
- Limited Access: Narrow corridors, staircases and no service lifts necessitate lightweight, portable equipment that can be manoeuvred manually between floors.
Solution
- Fixed Year-Round Crew: A dedicated team of ten staff, trained in both heritage conservation and theatre logistics, remain on-site throughout the performance season. Their familiarity with the venue’s schedule and layout ensures efficient, unobtrusive operations.
- Structured Cleaning Protocols: Pre-show inspections begin 30 minutes before door-opening, covering seating surfaces, aisles and handrails; post-show turnarounds focus on debris removal, floor vacuuming, spill treatment and brass polishing. Detailed checklists guide each task to maintain consistency across all 280 events.
- Manual-Friendly Tools: Lightweight hand-push scrubbers, microfibre dusters and compact wet-dry vacuums allow staff to navigate tight staircases and delicate surfaces without damage. Portable polishing kits ensure brass fixtures and railings retain their shine.
- Silent Operations: Acoustic vacuum attachments and odour-neutralising agents enable cleaning during rehearsals or set changes without disrupting sound checks or performances.
- Ongoing Quality Assurance: Weekly audits by senior supervisors use spotlight lighting to inspect corners, upholstery seams and stage edges, with rapid remediation protocols for any defects or delays.
Overview
Location
Shows per year
Main Challenge
Key Service
Fixed year-round crew with structured cleaning protocols
Specialised Task
See Also
3Olympia Theatre
Results:
280
99%
100%
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
The Gaiety Theatre demonstrates that rigorous planning, specialist training and lightweight, manual-friendly equipment can preserve historic venues while meeting the demands of a busy performance schedule.
Ryans Cleaning’s fixed crew approach, combined with silent operations and detailed quality audits, ensures every audience enjoys a pristine environment—show after show.