Theatre Review Stratfordʼs theatre transformed
• The ʻthrust stageʼ of the new RST auditorium T
he Royal Shakespeare Companie’s three-and-a-half year
construction project to transform its Royal Shakespeare and Swan Theatres in Stratford-upon-Avon was completed on time and on budget and the doors opened to the public the end of last year. At its heart is the transformed Royal Shakespeare Theatre (RST), with a new thrust stage and an auditorium seating over 1000 people. It was built using the RSC’s temporary Courtyard Theatre as a prototype – a venue much appreciated and much- admired by theatre goers during the RST transformation period.
72 March 2011
Ever since the old RST (designed by Elisabeth Scott to replace the 1879 Shakespeare Memorial Theatre) was opened in 1932 directors have fought to overcome the difficulties of its cinema-style auditorium where the furthest seat was more than 27 metres from the stage. The RSC, therefore, chose a thrust
stage for the new theatre to help overcome this problem, and asked the design team, led by Bennetts Associates, to create a viewing environment that Shakespeare would recognize if he time-travelled forward to the 21st century!
Back in his day, Shakespeare wrote
for a theatre in which actors and audiences shared the same space. The new thrust stage with the audience seated on three sides makes this possible, almost halving the distance of the furthest seat from the stage and, as proved by the Courtyard venue, significantly improving the play-going experience. The RSC brief to the design team also sought to make the rest of the building feel much more welcoming – a place that people could enjoy throughout the day and which is accessible to all, rather than just theatre goers. As a result, the RST
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