UK - PLASA members enjoyed an informative backstage tour of the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon on the 24th of May. Elizabeth Scott's iconic 1932 cinema-style Royal Shakespeare Theatre has been transformed in recent years and, with the intimacy offered by a thrust stage auditorium, is now the perfect environment for performing the works of Shakespeare to audiences of today. Following a welcome to the venue by RSC deputy technical director, Peter Bailey, members were invited to tour with Jeremy Dunn, head of RSC sound or Vince Herbert, head of lighting and inventor of the RSC Lightlock. A demonstration on the day showed why this product won the first ever Gold Innovation Award at the 2008 PLASA Show. The team from the RSC were joined by representatives from PLASA members, Stage Electrics (systems integrator) and Charcoal Blue (theatre consultants), who had in-depth knowledge of the construction programme. The RSC team worked collectively to ensure the venue's illustrious history was honoured, whilst overcoming the inevitable technical challenges that come with any project of this scale. It was clear, throughout the day, that enhancing the audience experience was of paramount importance. Members then headed off to newly opened The Other Place for lunch and the final stage of the tour. The Other Place began life as a tin shed rehearsal room and using the shell of the Courtyard Theatre's auditorium now contains a 200-seat studio theatre, three rehearsal rooms, storage for costumes and props, and a café bar. "This was a really fascinating and enjoyable day", said Dave Crump of CT London. "I worked on a production of Julius Caesar in the early 80s, which I believe was the first use of video in a live RSC production. It was incredible to see how the theatre has changed and a real privilege to have such an in depth backstage tour of one of the world's premier performance spaces."
More PLASA member events are expected to be announced shortly - watch this space . . .
