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The Royal Shakespeare Theatre, north frontage and car-park.

The first Shakespeare Memorial theatre complex, pictured about 1885

Royal Shakespeare Theatre, seen from across the river Avon. Sept 2006, before extensive re-building work begins.

Royal Shakespeare Theatre, summer 2006

The Royal Shakespeare Theatre is a large national theatre owned by the Royal Shakespeare Company dedicated to the British playwright and poet William Shakespeare, and is located in his birthplace of Stratford-upon-Avon, in the English Midlands. The Theatre is located beside the River Avon.

The modern theatre was opened on April 23, 1932 , rebuilt after a fire destroyed the original Shakespeare Memorial Theatre (opened April 19, 1879) on March 6, 1926. The architect was Elisabeth Scott, so the theatre became the first important work erected in this country from the designs of a woman architect ^[1]. It is now managed by the Royal Shakespeare Company and was renamed Royal Shakespeare Theatre in 1961.

The theatre has a proscenium-arch stage, and a seating capacity of about 1500 people, on three tiers (stalls, circle and balcony, with additional side balconies). Entrance to the balcony is via a separate door. The theatre has several noticeable Art Deco features, including the staircase and corridors at either side of the auditorium. It is a Grade II* listed building.

The Swan Theatre and the RST (more commonly known as the Main House) share a back dock and it is possible to walk from one stage to another.

The Theatre is on the western bank of the River Avon, and the bar/restaurant balcony overlooks the river.

Plans to redevelop the theatre were finalised and work commenced in 2007, with a scheduled completion date of 2010. The architects for the scheme are Rab and Denise Bennetts of Bennetts Associates [1].

Meanwhile performances have been transferred to the Courtyard Theatre a temporary structure with an interior matching the future RST auditorium, and which has been built attached to and temporarily replacing The Other Place.

The redevelopment plans had a controversial ride, and as long ago as 2002, HOOT (Hands Off Our Theatre) was working to oppose the scheme when it seemed that the theatre's exterior would be demolished. However, this part of the plans has since been altered.

The theatre has a bar, restaurant (not wheelchair accessible), and a gift shop. Backstage tours are sometimes available.

Adjacent theatres:

• Swan Theatre (attached to the Main House)
• The Other Place (nearby)

• Sally Beauman: The Royal Shakespeare Company: A History of Ten Decades, Oxford University Press (1983) ISBN 0192122096
• Marian Pringle: The Theatres of Stratford-upon-Avon 1875 – 1992: An Architectural History, Stratford upon Avon Society (1994) ISBN 0-9514178-1-9

1. ^ Pringle,p.29

• Royal Shakespeare Company homepage
• Old postcard views of the original Memorial Theatre, including pictures of the 1926 fire
• Old postcard views of the "New" Theatre
• Images of England - photograph and details from listed building text
• The Stratford Guide A web site run by locals as a complete visitor guide to Stratford-upon-Avon

Coordinates: 52.19017° N 1.70447° W