Here is an artist's view of
The Royal Shakespeare and Swan Theatres
from the Bancroft Gardens. The Company’s 14-acre site on the banks of
the River Avon is at the heart of the RSC operations and the new theatre
is scheduled to be finished in 2010. Shakespeare has been performed
for the last 200 years in Stratford and with £110m funding they are
revamping the theatres and adding a
courtyard style curtain-less stage.
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 with
its gates shut to visitors. At this outline stage of the design process,
I’m confident that we’ve got a scheme that reflects the
RSC’s ambition to reach out and make Shakespeare fresh and
relevant to a new generation.’ — RSC
Chairman, Sir Christopher Bland
In the meantime, performances
are being held in a
temporary 1,000 seat auditorium on a
car-park site (next to the
Dirty Duck Pub
- a favourite of locals and thespians for decades). If there's no
performance on, you can always pop in to the
Brass Rubbing centre
behind the old theatre. Also, you can cross to the pretty park and
children's playground on the
rickety chain ferry
that operates through the summer season.
The roving Hamlet House video boffin will be out and about in the New Year
with some YouTube footage of the development as it progresses.
