grounded , very powerful shape for the theatre , which is a perfect horseshoe shape , and then as a foil to that you have this very , very sinuous , organic veil that ’ s like a curtain itself … moving with the river ,” he says , referring to the building ’ s curvilinear outer envelope . “ You have to have movement and stillness — silence and not silence . The two , against each other , create the tension ; otherwise the whole thing would have moved too much . We came in with the basic configuration , but we said we were not going to do the theatre without full collaboration ,” he says .
“ We have a group of outstanding professionals here in all the different disciplines who knew what they needed , and so we made sure that this wasn ’ t outsourced ,” says the Stratford Festival ’ s artistic director , Antoni Cimolino . “ We brought in [ the theatre consultant ] Fisher Dachs and other theatre experts , but that was in a support role for the work that [ the architect was ] doing and we were doing together . What happens within the theatre doors is something that the Stratford Festival staff brought to life .”
Inside the NC15-rated wood-lined auditorium , the very low background noise level sets a tone of hushed intimacy . Eight rows of custom-designed velvet orange seats frame the elongated thrust stage on three sides , the stage house occupying the remaining short side . Two vomitoria emerging from under the seats at the curved end allow for stage entrances opposite the stage house . “ Construction of the stage house is modular : the balcony can travel downstage either during a show or as a preset ; there are hidden walls , so with several shows in rep , a particular design may call for extra walls on the stage house . We can also change the look of the walls by swapping out removable panels on the face of the walls ,” Dougherty says .
The stage itself is also modular : the deck , millwork , even the location and size of the traps are changeable to suit the design of each production . For Richard III , for example , the central portion of the stage is replaced with two rows of light boxes recalling the stained-glass windows in Leicester Cathedral .
“ It was really important how the stage felt and how it took the stain , which translates into how it looks , how it bounces light . On a stage like this , if it bounces light wrong , you ’ re going to blind people on the other side . So , we had to ensure that the quality of the finish when it took was correct . We went through months of testing , looked at different wood samples , different stains and paints , and our scene shop made 4 x 8-ft . mockups . We brought each sample into a rehearsal hall , put it under theatre lights , and after extensive testing , we landed on a perfect combination : Canadian
PHOTO : DOUBLESPACE PHOTOGRAPHY
LARGE CURVING TRACK DOORS AT THE ENTRANCE TO LAZARIDIS HALL
Birch with a really unique stain mix . When the shop went to buy it , however , they couldn ’ t find 1,000 sq . ft . of Canadian Birch lumber anywhere . So we ended up buying a wood lot near Tobermorey , and had the trees milled into our stage ,” Dougherty says .
The birch was then “ beaten with chains so that we can have a sense that the light doesn ’ t just come across it like a piece of plastic ,” Cimolino adds .
Because the theatre runs in repertory , set changes need to be done quickly , so the deck ’ s top layer is removable in approximately 4 x 8-ft . sections when a design calls for a different surface , such as a black dance floor . For special effects , boards around the entire lip of the stage are replaced by grates to admit light and sound , as well as smoke to envelope the actors . Micro-perf metal mesh on the two risers stepping up to the stage does similar duty .
“ We ’ ve had to build a lot of tricks into this , such as a sound system comprised of several small loudspeakers hidden behind the micro-perf steel running around the ring , which not only helps deliver sound to the front rows , but also localizes sound effects . If we ’ re in a battle scene where the battle starts upstage and moves downstage , we want that sound to travel with the action . We can also install lights or pixel-controlled LED tape and smoke to create really amazing effects ,” Dougherty says , noting that there ’ s room for a lot of fire and water effects in Shakespeare .
Beneath the stage , a full-size trap room permits locating traps of varying sizes almost anywhere on the stage . “ We could open the whole thing up to create a pond or pool on the stage , or we could open just a section of it . All the I-beams under the deck are movable ; they just sit on their perimeter supports . We have the capability to rig lighting down here , along with sound and atmospherics . Modular floorpocket stage elevators from Creative Conners in Chicago accommodate lifts in different locations for various shows in rep . Each show needs to be different , because audiences coming to see two different shows in the same theatre want to see two different sets . The floorpocket itself is not bolted to the floor , and the platform runs up a mast , so we can roll it to where the opening in the stage will be . Each elevator will give us about a 4 x 4-ft . opening , or you can gang them together like a bridge and operate them synchronously if you want to lift a bigger trap , up to something like 16 x 16-ft .,” he says .
While set pieces are not flown over the thrust stage as they would over a proscenium stage with fly tower , they can be delivered to the stage via the trap room in a pop-up fashion . Relatively small items , such as chandeliers , can be flown in using hoists from the grid above the stage .
“ We ’ re running a good number of Liftket Tour Rig fixed- and variable-speed chain motors , controlled via Raynok automation . We put encoders in every chain motor we bought , even if it ’ s more for utility , such as for hanging lights : our one-ton Tour Rigs hold what we call our spine , a central lighting position over the stage . We need them to be at the right trim all the time , and the encoders help with that . We can set a trim so that after we fly these in for maintenance or changeovers , we ’ re no longer taking a laser or tape measure to get them to the right spot , they just come right back to where we set them . Rigging was supplied by Show SDT ; Mongo Andrews at Vertigo Research Labs was our automation consultant ,” Dougherty says .
The grid is accessible via elevator-accessible catwalks , arranged as three concentric ovals over the stage and house , connected by short bridges in the middle of each long side and studded with house lights on the undersides . The catwalk system concept was designed by the Festival ’ s head of design , Michael Walton , and the former head of lighting at the Tom Patterson Theatre , Tim Hanson , who knew where equipment would need to be located .
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