The Royal Shakespeare Company?s (RSC) plans to create a new waterfront theatre village, has been met with a storm of protest, after it was made clear that the plans would involve the demolition of the listed 1932 Royal Shakespeare Theatre, designed by Elizabeth Scott.
The Art Deco building, described by Director Anthony Quayle in his autobiography as ?of a hideousness that nobody who had not sat in could possible appreciate?, is regarded by the RSC as fundamentally flawed.
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If the RSC is successful at overcoming objections to its plans, a completely new Royal Shakespeare Theatre, to be designed by Dutch theatre architect Erick van Egeraat and theatre consultant Iain Mackintosh, will form part of a £100m theatre village. Other elements of the village will include new backstage facilities and technical delivery access for the Swan Theatre; a new adaptable auditorium as an extension to The Other Place theatre, for staging experimental work, as well as film and video; and the creation of teaching and support facilities for the new RSC Academy. The project is likely to be completed in 2008, but the RSC will continue performing in at least two theatres in Stratford throughout the redevelopment. The Arts Council of England has earmarked £50m to meet half the costs of the redevelopment and a Feasibility Study was submitted to them last week. Independent research by ARUP Economics as apart of the Study has revealed that the RSC directly contributes at least £32m a year to the local economy, and is one of the largest local employers.