The Royal Shakespeare Theatre

The Royal Shakespeare Theatre's auditorium boasts a large proscenium arch stage and raked style seating with stalls, circle and balcony areas. The theatre is the 'main-house' for the RSC in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Opened in 1878 on land donated by Charles Edward Flower, the original Memorial Theatre was a Victorian gothic building with seating for 711 people. The inaugural performance in the theatre was of Much Ado About Nothing, with Barry Sullivan as Benedick and Helen Faucit as Beatrice.

The original theatre was destroyed by fire in 1926 - the Swan Theatre occupies all that remains of the Victorian Memorial Theatre. In 1932, the new Shakespeare Memorial Theatre designed by Elisabeth Scott was opened. In 1960, Peter Hall formed the modern Royal Shakespeare Company and in 1961, the Memorial Theatre was renamed the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.