Acoustic adaptation mechanism of a traditional ancestral temple theatre in northeast Jiangxi

This study combines field measurements and ODEON simulations to explore the acoustic adaptation mechanism of the Zhaomutang theatre in northeastern Jiangxi during opera performances and family sacrifices. The theatre’s spatial sequence (stage, front patio, Xiangtang, rear patio, and Qintang) creates a progressive sound field through volume control and material reflection, and coordinates sound energy gain, early reflection, and reverberation attenuation. During the performance, the stage and auditorium obtain moderate reverberation and lateral reflection, ensuring the fullness of the Gan opera singing and speech intelligibility. During the sacrifice, the Qintang and rear patio achieve semantic focus by shortening the sound propagation path and concentrating early sound energy. At the same time, the peripheral space still maintains fundamental speech intelligibility and ritual atmosphere. This reveals how traditional architecture dynamically adjusts multifunctional acoustics through spatial sequence and material differentiation, thus filling the gap in the study of multi-scene acoustics of ancestral temple theatres.