ALLBY LIBBY ELLIS // PHOTO BY SIMON WINNALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE

THE CURTAIN IS ABOUT TO LIFT ON THE Peter Wilson, ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY’S NEXT ACT. Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England THE SHORT AND LONG OF IT During Mr. Shakespeare’s lifetime, his work was considered entertainment for the masses and was often performed to an audience packed into a standing- room-only section right in front of the stage. In fact, the author created his plays with that intimate environment in mind. Alas, the 1930s revamp had dramat- history of the Royal Shakespeare ically altered the playgoer’s experience, theCompany’s performance space in says Mr. Wilson. Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, “The design featured fan-shaped England is, well, Shakespearean. seating a long way from the stage— Throughout its existence, the his- not great for Shakespeare and not the toric performance center has seen as tradition in which he wrote,” he much drama as one of the Bard’s famed explains. tragedies. In the 1900s, a devastating The design’s impact was noticeable. fire laid waste to much of the struc- In the aftermath of the reconstruction, ture. Three decades later, it was subject the theater company started having to an ambitious but flawed reconstruction trouble recruiting directors and actors THE PLAY WITHIN THE PLAY 10 attempt. to perform in the space. About 300 meters (984 feet) down the Avon from the site of the new Royal It was time for a second act. Complicating matters was the fact that Shakespeare Company (RSC) main auditorium sits the Courtyard Theatre. months In March 2005, the Royal RSC had constructed a second, smaller Constructed on the site of the company’s old car park, the 1,048-seat Courtyard let Time it took to Shakespeare Company (RSC) began performance space in 1986 designed to the shows go on—and provided guidance for the main event, the revamp of the main complete the the planning phase of a £112.8 mil- recreate the courtyard theaters of RSC theater. £6.5 million lion, government-funded project to Shakespeare’s day. Actors, directors and In use since 2006, the £6.5 million Courtyard took only 10 months to complete—a Courtyard Theater reconstruct its main theater. Spanning audiences infinitely preferred that space, record time for Andy Hayles, managing director at Charcoalblue, the London, six years, the project aims to modern- and by the mid-1990s, the RSC decided England-based theater consulting company that led the auditorium’s design. project ize the facility while restoring to overhaul its main auditorium. “The company needed a building to work out of while the new theater was being built,” says Mr. Hayles. “The RSC employs more than 600 people in Stratford alone, so the idea that they would close for three or four years was unthinkable.” Instead, the team used the Courtyard as a laboratory to test out everything from THE PROBLEM WITH any project of this type is that the new the wiring to the seats. “We were able to try things out practically in terms of the artistic vision,” Mr. building is everyone's chance to have everything they ever Hayles says. “There were many who said [the idea] was not possible or sensible. I think the Courtyard has proved that the vision works.” Mr. Hayles and his team were also able to get direct feedback from audiences wanted—but the budget never goes that far. —Peter Wilson about elements such as sightlines, acoustics and temperature in real-time surveys. The theater manager also passed along compliments and complaints. Along with providing valuable audience feedback, the project directly bene- E I fited how the team interacted on the construction of the main theater. B

the original Shakespearean theater The heart of the mission was to create R A

B “Working on this project helped the RSC, project management and theater con- R

experience. a stage that extends into the audience A

E sultant teams learn to make decisions together,” Mr. Hayles says. “The same people D /

Despite good intentions, the project on three sides—immersing more than R

K working on the Courtyard also worked on the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and the C I

came up against high expectations from 1,000 playgoers in performances in the L

F company’s temporary theater at the Roundhouse in London. The team built trust, a

F O stakeholders and complex environmental same way they would have experienced body of work and a shorthand, which enabled speedy and effective collaboration.” Y S

issues when Peter Wilson—fresh from them during Shakespeare’s lifetime. E T Once the main Royal Shakespeare Theatre opens, the Courtyard will close, and R U

running the Tate Modern museum trans- The project also included other modern O the company will bring back The Other Place, its studio theater that formerly occu- C

O

formation project in London, England— enhancements, including accessibility T pied the space. O H

took the lead as project director. improvements, restoration of the P

54 PM NETWORK JULY 2009 WWW.PMI.ORG JULY 2009 PM NETWORK 55 Rather than drown in a cacophony of RSC artistic director. “The best demands, Mr. Wilson and his team drew way we can achieve this is [with] a on their listening skills to determine modern take on the theaters of what each group really cared about—and Shakespeare’s day.” what was open to negotiation. The team To realize the desired effect, Mr. also took care to address concerns from Wilson knew the stage had to be non-executives and give the project an both stable and easily adaptable. The open, inclusive feel. resulting plan allows for the stage to “We found ways for everyone to be set up in the round, accommodate contribute to the process without holding a musician’s gallery, or be shortened up the project with more proposals and or widened depending on a produc- Y N A

P details,” he says. tion’s needs. M O C

“The RSC has an enormously com- E R

A STAGING AREA petent technical team that has to be able E P S

E The project had one thing in its favor: to make changes for each season, and K A

H Everyone agreed on the need to restore we worked with them to make it easier S

L A

Y the original stage design. in the future,” says Mr. Wilson. O R

F “Our commitment to bringing an Finally, to address the most pressing O

Y

S immediacy and clarity to Shakespeare issue with the existing design, the E T R means we need to bring the audience team cut the greatest distance from U O C to a more engaged relationship with seat to stage from 27 meters to 15 O T O

H our actors,” says Michael Boyd, the meters (89 feet to 49 feet). P

OUR COMMITMENT to bringing an immediacy and clarity to Shakespeare means we need to bring the audience to a more engaged relationship with our actors. —Michael Boyd, Royal Shakespeare Company

building’s heritage elements and new characters to please. That list included educational spaces. RSC executives, the local community, Although the plan seemed simple, and high-profile celebrities such the plot thickened as the project team as Dame Judi Dench and Patrick sought stakeholder approval. Stewart. “When I started, I was told that the “The problem with any project of most difficult aspect would be to marry this type is that the new building is the ambitions for the project from all everyone’s chance to have everything the diverse interest groups at the RSC,” they ever wanted—but the budget Mr. Wilson says. never goes that far,” says Mr. Wilson. L

That may have been a bit of an “You have to teach perfectionists how to L A N N understatement. live with the 80 percent rule and help I W

N

them decide what things are most O M I S THE CAST AND CREW important. You have to help them feel Y B

Upon arrival, Mr. Wilson and his team proud of what they got and okay with O T O H

found they had an assorted cast of what they gave up.” P

56 PM NETWORK JULY 2009 WWW.PMI.ORG OUT, OUT DAMN WATER TO RESTORE OR NOT TO Stratford-upon-Avon earned its name RESTORE from its proximity to the River Avon. The stage wasn’t the only element that It’s a lovely location—but it made it had to be recast. The team also drew on difficult to build the new 7-meter (23- the idea of a water tower from the original foot) deep basement needed to construct 1800s Memorial Theatre that burned the new stage. down in 1926. Despite some exploration work, “In my view, one reason for the original “we found that the ground conditions tower is that, in Stratford, the church weren’t exactly as expected,” Mr. was a major tourist destination,” Mr. Wilson says. “It seems that the 1930s Wilson says. “There was a friendly rivalry approach to keep out water was to between the church, which had a large dig an enormous hole and fill it with spire, and the theater, which was further concrete—we’d expected ground and from the old railway station.” found mass concrete.” The original tower served as a visual In addition to breaking up the cue to pull in visitors, but it wasn’t includ- concrete, the project team had to con- ed when the theater was rebuilt in 1932. tend with very wet conditions that After studying the history, though, the required a special rig to inject sealing team came up with a modern reinterpreta- materials into the ground surrounding tion to reconnect the RSC with Stratford. the piling around the new basement’s “The RSC understands that one of outer wall. the challenges is to get people to come

WE WANT TO OPEN up the theater and improve its relationship with the town. We had a building that felt like a fortress with its gates shut to visitors. 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. —Sir Christopher Bland, Royal Shakespeare Company

Then along came another other lit- to the theater and knows that a way to ensure both projects work hand in hand to dressing rooms and front façade. The tle wrinkle. The sub-stage basement get them there is to create good and make the theater part of the community. team will also work on final touches existed below the water table, so water welcoming public spaces,” Mr. “We want to open up the theater such as the louvered glass lantern that

had to be constantly pumped away Wilson says. Y and improve its relationship with the will top the tower. N A P

from the site as work continued. In the new building, visitors will M town. We had a building that felt like a Construction of the Royal O C

It was just one more surprise that travel through the tower, which will E fortress with its gates shut to visitors,” Shakespeare Theatre will be completed R A

Mr. Wilson took in stride. house exhibitions from the RSC’s col- E says Sir Christopher Bland, RSC chair- by 2010, though that’s only part of the P S E

“It’s not a great feat to be on time lection. That way, they end up engaging K man. “I’m confident that we’ve got a project. A H S

and on budget if you make realistic with the theater even if a production scheme that reflects the RSC’s ambition “We have the public building and L A Y

plans. We tried to build in time isn’t on their itineraries. O to reach out and make Shakespeare other facilities, and so there won’t be R

F

and contingency to deal with the unex- The RSC’s plans were also developed O fresh and relevant to a new generation.” one big bang moment,” Mr. Wilson

Y S

pected,” he says. “The trick is to know in tandem with proposals from the E says. “But we will be in full operation T R

there will be challenges and anticipate Stratford-on-Avon District Council and U THE LAST ACT by 2011.” O C

in what areas they will come and have Warwickshire County Council to develop O Mr. Wilson’s outline for the rest of And as the man himself once said, T O H

the capability to deal with them.” the town’s waterfront area. The goal is to P 2009 includes finishing off the roof, all’s well that ends well. PM

58 PM NETWORK JULY 2009 WWW.PMI.ORG JULY 2009 PM NETWORK 59