Work is to begin to reinstate the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Stratford studio theatre The Other Place.
It will open in 2016 to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death.
The project is being made possible through private and public funders, a £3 million lottery grant from Arts Council England and a new collaboration with the University of Birmingham.
Built in 1973, The Other Place was home to the RSC’s developmental and new work, housing many landmark productions with RSC alumni such as Judi Dench, Ian McKellen and Helen Mirren.
The theatre closed in 2006 to make way for the temporary Courtyard Theatre where the RSC performed during the transformation of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.
The new Other Place will include a 200-seat flexible studio theatre built within the external steel structure of The Courtyard Theatre, two new rehearsal rooms and a new home for the RSC’s 30,000-piece costume store which people on theatre tours will be able to see for the first time.
Under the leadership of RSC deputy artistic director Erica Whyman, The Other Place will be a venue for RSC festival productions, with festivals showcasing new work taking place twice a year.
Amateur groups will be able to use the theatre for rehearsals and performances, and it will be available to hire, raising money to support the RSC’s artistic programme.
The RSC has announced a new, five-year collaboration with the University of Birmingham and its Stratford-based Shakespeare Institute. At its heart are three research projects taking place each year.
Erica Whyman said, “I’m hugely excited about re-imagining The Other Place as a vibrant, creative space, embodying the challenging and alternative spirit of the original.
“Our collaboration with the University of Birmingham is a brilliant opportunity for students to get right into the heart of the RSC, using the theatre and its resources as part of their undergraduate and postgraduate studies. Their presence, alongside our artists, will bring a real energy to the building.”