Shakespeare Memorial Theatre: 1932 – 1961
Renamed Royal Shakespeare Theatre in 1961 after the formation of the theatre company of the same name.
Built following the destruction of the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre by fire in 1926 (19 April 1879 – 6 March 1926), on a site adjacent to the former theatre.
Timeline / Equipment
- 19 April 1879 Shakespeare Memorial Theatre opens
- 6 March 1926 Theatre severely damaged by fire
- 1928 – Elizabeth Scott (1898 – 1972) announced as the architect of the rebuilding project. She was the first female architect to design a major public building in Britain, and was still in her 20’s when she won an international competition to pick the designer.
- 1932 – New Shakespeare Memorial Theatre opens, with 1400 seats
- 1951 – Strand Electronic for Thyratron
- 1971 (from The Stage Guide)
Electrics: Strand Electronic in auditorium control room. Dimmers – 144 (15kW to 2kW); 2 presets; 2 groups. Circuits – FOH 45; Flies 41; Stage dips 16. Socket type 15A BESA. Total capacity available – 1000A on 3 phases. Special effects supply – 225A on 3 phases. Footlights are removable.
Sound: Console SL. 4 amplifiers x 120W and 2 x 50W. 4 tape decks. No turntables. 7 mic sockets (Cannon 3 pin). 46 loudspeakers with 18 sockets (Cannon 4 pin) - 1971/2? – Strand DDM installed
- 1986 Swan Theatre constructed within the shell of the 1879 theatre
- ???? – Strand Galaxy installed (in place in 1987)
- 2007 – 2010: Transformation Project to create a new 1040 seat thrust stage auditorium.
1964 – 400th Anniversary
Exhibits from this venue in the Backstage Heritage Collection
Links to information about equipment at Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford upon Avon over the years
Documents
Cyclorama at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre (1946)
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[410kb JPEG]
C30 Strand Electronic desk at Shakespeare Memorial Theatre (1958)
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[2.76Mb JPEG]
From Strand Slide Archive
Give Me Some Light - Shakespeare Memorial Theatre (March 1958)
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[145kb JPEG]
