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The Grade II* listed Shakespeare
Royal Theatre was designed by Elisabeth Scott,
a cousin of Sir Giles, as a winning competition
entry in 1928. The firm of Scott, Chesterton &
Shepherd worked on the building which was opened
by the Prince of Wales in 1932. The new design
replaced the previous Shakespeare Memorial Theatre
of 1879, destroyed by fire in 1926.
At the time of its design the
theatre represented a radical statement in England,
even more remarkable in view of the site which
came complete with perhaps more than its fair
share of inherent traditions. Original admirers
included Maxwell Fry and FRS Yorke who wrote about
the building in The Architectural Review, and
young modernists from the Design and Industries
Association in Birmingham showed it proudly to
Gropius during his brief residency in England.
The original building consisted
of a curved front leading into a central foyer
complete with that essential modern item –
a large spiral stair. The foyer was constructed
with plain brick walls whilst the stair balustrade
was faced with green marble. The auditorium was
constructed with tapering sides leading onto the
stage house that rose high and square at its foot.
External sculpture was provided by Eric Kennington,
utilising cut brick as the medium for his expressionist,
allegorical forms. Stratford now possessed a state-of-the-art
theatre and over the next 30 years watched the
RSC go from strength to strength in it’s
new home, prior to taking up additional space
in London from the 1960’s.
The RSC now owns 14 acres of
land in Stratford and has recently embarked on
a feasibility study designed to find a new home.
Despite consultations with English Heritage, The
Twentieth Century Society (the case was last discussed
by the C20 casework committee on 12.11.01), and
other interested parties the company is now considering
a number of options, including the demolition
of part of the current listed theatre, redevelopment,
or re-location to one of twelve possible sites
in the vicinity. The company has been allocated
over £755k in lottery money from the Arts
Council Lottery Fund towards the £3.2m required
for the feasibility study.
Described as ‘a mighty
art deco construction’ by Jonathan Glancey
(Guardian Monday 22/10/01) the theatre which was
originally designed to seat 1,000, has been extended
to accommodate larger numbers. Under the current
stewardship of Adrian Noble, artistic director
of the RSC , the intention is to create a new
‘theatre village’ to be designed by
Dutch architect Erick
van Egeraat, and the company itself is in
the process of rebranding by New York literary
agent Andrew Wylie. It is likely that the plan
to make a real Shakespearean day-out of visiting
Stratford will appeal particularly to potential
US audiences, many of whom may provide the private
patronage that will ultimately bring the plan
to realisation.
The expectations of traditionally
minded audiences may well conflict with those
of inventive theatrical companies obliged to operate
in an increasingly competitive environment. It
could be argued that Stratford is ripe for adaptation
rather than demolition. Theatre Projects Management
who are working with the RSC, advised on the planning
of the Royal Exchange in Manchester which involved
the extraordinary marriage of an ultra-modern
space-pod inside a Victorian civic building, whilst
the conversion of Tate Modern has demonstrated
the power of an old building to attract new audiences
if dealt with in a visionary manner.
Further to this debate is the
issue of its listed status. Less than a year after
demolition of the Grade II* Brynmawr Rubber Factory
in Gwent (see C20 Newsletter Spring/May 2001),
the effectiveness of listed protection is likely
to be further compromised by a decision to demolish
this pioneering building.
Click
here to read the Twentieth Century Society Press
Release
Further Information
Backstage tours of the theatre
are available (subject to disruption due to alteration
work). For up to date information please contact
the theatre directly on 01789 40 3405.
RSC Online Press Office - www.rsconline.net/press/releases/Feas.htm
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