The RST, a venerable Art Deco theatre built in 1932, and home to the Royal Shakespeare Company for nearly 50 years, closed its doors in August 2007 to undergo a £112 million ($180 million) transformation. The projected was successfully completed on time and within budget.
A Theater and a Visitor Attraction
The 1932 building was virtually gutted to create:- a new thrust stage and 1,000 seat auditorium - with seats created by the Italian designer who designs car seats for Ferrari.
- a new lobby connecting the RST with adjoining Swan Theatre - a 1979 interpretation of an Elizabethan theater that was unchanged but closed during the Transformation Project because of the shared front of house.
- implementation of the very latest in theater technology.
But the Transformation project is about more than theater spaces. The aim has been to make the entire complex more welcoming and interesting to the many visitors who flock to Stratford-upon-Avon, Shakespeare's home town. To that end, the project also includes:
- new places to eat and drink, including a Rooftop Restaurant with panoramic views and a Riverside Cafe and Terrace.
- a 36 meter tower with views from the top of Shakespeare's Stratford-upon-Avon and new exhibition space all the way down.
- restoration of original Art Deco features of the 1932 building
- creation of a new public space - Weston Square - for Stratford-upon-Avon.
The People's Shakespeare
From the start, fans and supporters of the RST from around the world have been involved in the project. At least $1.1 million ($1.7 million) of the costs came from the public - more than 13,000 individuals in 55 countries. Other funding came from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Advantage West Midlands, and various charitable trusts and foundations. A single grant of £16 million, the largest in the theater's history, came from the Gatsby Foundation
As a people's project, the first months after the reopening are devoted to guided tours for the general public, exhibits, experiments and performances by amateur and community groups, young people's theatre and opportunities for young playwrights.
In keeping with the state-of-the art approach, one of the new exhibitions is Why? by Squidsoup – a kinetic, interactive digital sculpture that creates a web of words from the comments of RSC audiences on the relevance of Shakespeare today, texted to a dedicated number.
