New design and budget revealed for Stratford-upon-Avon venue redevelopment. Gardiner & Theobald on project team behind plans

The Royal Shakespeare Company revealed its new plans to redevlop its Stratford-upon-Avon home, which will cost a total of £100m. This figures includes an £80m construction and design cost. The remaining £20m will be spent on fixtures and equipment, a refurbishment of the smaller Courtyard Theatre, new rehearsal rooms and the costs of transition.

A team including architect Bennett Associates and QS and planning supervisor Gardiner & Theobald is working on the plans to reconfigure the famous home of the theatre, which was first opened in 1932. The centrepiece will be a new auditorium which will seat just over 1,000 but will also reduce the distance from the furthest seat to the stage from 30 to 15 metres.

The plans also include:

  • Restoring the heritage elements of the building
  • An accessible riverside walkway running alongside the RSC theatres
  • Improved facilities, including a rooftop restaurant
  • A theatre tower marking a new entrance
Work on the scheme is expected to start in spring 2007 and it is due to reopen in 2010. RSC chairman Sir Christopher Bland said: "We want to open up the theatre and improve its relationship with the town. At the moment we have a building that can feel like a fortress."

Source

QS News