The Courtyard Theatre was a 1,048 seat

thrust stage In theatre, a thrust stage (also known as a platform stage or open stage) is one that extends into the audience on three sides and is connected to the backstage area by its upstage end. A thrust has the benefit of greater intimacy between perform ...

theatre in

Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon (), commonly known as just Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is situated on the River Avon, north-we ...

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avo ...

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operated by the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, St ...

(RSC). It temporarily replaced The Other Place theatre during the redevelopment of the Royal Shakespeare (RST) and Swan Theatres. The last performance at The Courtyard Theatre took place in 2010. It was replaced by The Other Place in 2016, which returned as a 200-seat studio theatre in 2016.

History

Designed by Ian Ritchie Architects and built in 11 months, The Courtyard Theatre was opened in August 2006 to host performances by the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) while its Royal Shakespeare and Swan Theatres were closed for redevelopment between 2007 and 2010 as part of a £112.8 million transformation project. Built on the site of the RSC’s studio theatre, The Other Place, The Courtyard Theatre was created within a steel extension as a full-sized working prototype for the design of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre’s new 1,040+ seat auditorium and provided an opportunity to gain experience relating to sightlines, acoustics, lighting and comfort of seats. The Courtyard Theatre’s awards include the National and Regional RIBA Award for Architecture 2007 and the Stratford-on-Avon Council Celebration of Excellence 2007 Design Award. The Royal Shakespeare and Swan Theatres reopened on 24 November 2010, with the first full Shakespeare performances beginning in February 2011, with the last performance in The Courtyard Theatre, ''Matilda, A Musical'', taking place in January 2010. Temporary planning permission for The Courtyard Theatre was in place until the end of 2012 and it was used for the World Shakespeare Festival as part of the Cultural Olympiad in 2012.

Future

The Courtyard Theatre was replaced by The Other Place, which was reinstated as a 200-seat studio theatre in 2016. Despite originally intended as a temporary building, the steel extension will remain and will house the new theatre.

References

External links

Royal Shakespeare Company website
{{Authority control Theatres completed in 2006 Theatres in Stratford-upon-Avon William Shakespeare

History

Future

References

Further reading

External links